Aneantir
by nikipinz
Summary: They had once ruled the world - now all they had was each other. Azula, Mai, Ty Lee. Post-war. Based on the world of Ye Chang Meng Duo, written by Shinji Shasaki. Go read that one, too!
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: The word "aneantir" is French - it means something like the total annihilation of one's enemies. (Like when you adopt a scorched earth policy in destroying an enemy village, for example.)**

**Obligatory disclaimer - I don't own Avatar or anything connected with it. I'm making no money doing this - which means writing this is more or less a complete, if very enjoyable, waste of my time. ;)**

Keijo eyed the half-empty streets of Taonan. Evening was approaching; the crowds that had formerly cluttered the sidewalks had thinned out to a thin trickle of humanity, and the light was beginning to fade. The sky out over the ocean was turning a pale orange as the sun dipped toward the horizon. It was about time to pack up his baker's cart for the day, he decided; it wasn't likely that there would be any more customers.

As he looked back at his cart, he suddenly became aware of a tall, dark figure lurking in an alleyway across the street. He could tell very little about it, beyond the fact that it was female – the figure told him that much. He couldn't see the woman's face; the hood of a light gray cloak was pulled up around her head. Eyes glinted at him from its depths.

The baker felt suddenly nervous. Even though the war had been over for more than seven years, he still didn't like mysterious strangers. He turned his head, looking up and down the street for a guard.

There was a silvery hiss of steel! Keijo suddenly found himself pinned against the wall of the shop behind him. Gaping in shock, he looked down to see that his limbs were trapped by small, sharp knives; they had embedded themselves through his sleeves and deep into the wood of the wall. He raised atonished eyes to see the shadowy figure approaching him calmly, her hips swaying under her black robe. She glanced at him as she began to coolly help herself to the bread on the cart; his eyes widened. She was obviously Fire Nation – her white skin, golden eyes and jet-black hair testified to that. She had a long, lean face with high cheekbones. Blandly, she stuffed a fourth loaf into the small leather satchel that was slung over her shoulder, then turned to him. One elegant black brow raised a tiny bit. "My lady thanks you for your contribution to her cause," she said. He stared, still speechless; the yellow eyes narrowed just a touch. "I would advise you to speak of this to no one." Though her voice was smooth as oil, he couldn't mistake the threat. Closing his mouth, he gulped and nodded. Her pale lips twitched into a tiny smirk. Turning away, she strode back into the alley with effortless grace, and vanished into the gathering darkness like a ghost.


	2. The Refugees

Night had fallen in the forest. There was little moonlight – only a thin sliver of silver was shining through the canopy of leaves overhead.

On the ground, two young women lounged by a flickering campfire. One was petite, her features neat and delicate. She was sitting by the fire quietly, cross-legged, her hands resting in her lap. She would have been quite beautiful, with her ivory skin, aristocratic nose and smoldering amber eyes, but for a large, brownish-red scar that covered the upper left part of her face. It sprawled from just below her hairline to partway down her cheek, extending from her nose to her ear. The jet-black hair that hung at the sides of her face covered a bit of it, but not much. She was dressed in a long, gray tunic, with a cloak of a darker gray over her shoulders. Her hands and forearms were wrapped up in light gray strips of cloth.

The other girl lay on her back on the opposite side of the campfire, her head resting on her hands, her heels kicking in the dirt like a child's. Her hair was dark brown, pulled back into a braid that would have hung to the middle of her back, had she been standing. She was curvier than her companion; her loose pants and shirt exposed her midriff, from below her navel to just below her breasts. Her right arm, exposed by the short sleeve of her shirt, displayed a similar scar to that which marred the other woman's face. With a pout of her full lips, she stopped kicking and turned large gray eyes to her companion. "I'm hungry," she complained. "When's Mai coming back with the food?"

"Whenever she gets back, I suppose." The smaller woman's brow arched. "If you're bored, Ty Lee, you could scout our perimeter again."

With a melodramatic sigh, the girl shook her head and turned onto her belly. "I've already checked it _four times. _There's no one around for miles!" With a sudden effort, she lifted the lower part of her body up off the ground until her legs stood straight up in the air. Slowly, she drew her feet downward until they hovered just above her head, curving her body into a perfect backwards "C." She sighed again, putting her elbows against the ground and resting her chin in her hands. "Besides, I'm not bored, Azula. I'm hungry!"

"Chew on some grass, then." Azula's brows lowered in a slight frown. Even though it was only the smallest movement, it made her golden eyes suddenly look very dangerous.

The contortionist seemed unmoved by the threat in her companion's face. She flipped her body effortlessly around, coming to rest on the ground in full splits, and leaned forward to rest her cheek against her leg. "I bet you're hungry, too," she said petulantly. "None of us got anything today, running away from those stupid vigilantes!"

Azula sneered a little, but shrugged and looked back into the flames. "We'll eat soon enough. That pitiful little Earth Kingdom village is only a couple of hours from here. Mai will be back soon."

"Mai's back now." The calm voice broke in from the edge of the clearing where the two girls were lounging.

Both of them spun toward it in surprise. Azula's hands came up aggressively for a moment, then lowered at the sight of the tall, black-muffled woman approaching them. "Mai!" she said, half-ruefully. "You shouldn't surprise me like that. One of these days I'll launch a fireball, and you'll be sorry!"

The taller woman looked at her coolly. There was a flash of something in her hooded golden eyes – then it was gone. She looked away from Azula and took the leather satchel from her hip, tossing it to the ground by the campfire. "Bread," she said shortly. "It's all I could get. Most of the shops were closed by the time I got there, and it wasn't safe to break in somewhere – too many people." Ty Lee pounced on the package with a happy squeak.

"It'll do." The petite woman resumed her scrutiny of the fire, her eyes half-closed. "Once we've put more distance between us and those knife-slingers who're tailing us, we should double back toward Ba Sing Se. More towns and farms – better chance of finding food."

Mai eyed her. "Better chance of getting caught, too," she pointed out. "There's still a big Fire Nation presence around there, and a lot of those Earth Kingdom people remember you, especially in Ba Sing Se. And that…that _bounty hunter_ hangs out in the area. The one with the shirshu."

"Mm." Azula nodded, her eyes narrowing. "We've given June the slip before, and we can do it again. Besides, I'd rather go down fighting than starve to death. Wouldn't you?"

"I'd _rather_ not go down at all." Mai's mouth grew tight. "You haven't given up, have you?"

The dangerous glint was back in Azula's amber eyes. "Don't. Ever. Suggest that again." There was a tense silence as the two women locked gazes, and a battle of wills raged in the stillness. At last, the taller woman dropped her eyes and turned aside a little, with a slight nod of her black head. Azula smirked openly, leaning back on her hands as the tension went out of her shoulders. "You'd better eat, Mai. You've had a bit more exercise today than we have."

"I'm fine." Mai's voice was nonchalant, but she didn't dare meet the smaller woman's gaze. "I ate in town."

"Well, that's good. We'll have at least one set of eyes on the lookout, then." Azula looked at Ty Lee, who was happily stuffing her mouth full of food. "Ty Lee, give me a loaf." The contortionist stopped, her cheeks bulging, then obediently rose and crossed over to lay the bread in the other woman's hands.

Mai's lip curled a touch, but she turned from the fire and began to pace watchfully at the edge of the clearing. Though she did feel free to question Azula's decisions on occasion, she had no real desire to challenge the woman. There was no point anymore – she served her by choice, now, and not by force. Her hand drifted up to the neckline of her robe, tracing the uneven surface of the scar tissue that lay beneath the cloth. Her eyes darkened.

It had been six years since she had been given those wounds, at the hands of the young man she had once been willing to give her life for. When the Avatar had defeated Fire Lord Ozai, the war that the Fire Nation had waged on the rest of the world had come to an end. The Fire Lord's son, Prince Zuko, had been crowned Fire Lord soon after, and Mai had happily taken her place at his side as the Fire Lord's consort-to-be. As time had gone on, however, she had seen that she really had little place in his life. He was dedicated to peace-making, to the good of his people – these things left little time for her. She had begun to resent him as the months had gone on, and to spend more time with his younger sister, Princess Azula.

When the Fire Nation had first fallen, Azula had been a screaming, sobbing wreck. She'd actually been locked up in a mental institution for a few weeks, until the shock wore off and she returned to something like her right mind. Then her brother had released her, allowing her to come back to the palace, with the proviso that she not be given any of the powers inherent to royalty. The princess had seemed content enough to play dress-up and act charming at court functions – something she was very good at.

As time passed, Azula began to make subtle moves to undermine her brother's rule. Mai, who by that time already resented Zuko bitterly, had sided with the sister. Ty Lee had returned to the Fire Nation from Kyoshi Island at about that time. She'd been hesitant at first, but had been quickly won over on the strength of her long friendship with both young women. The three of them had begun to scheme together.

Zuko had, of course, found out. He'd summoned his sister before him and questioned her in the sight of the full court. She had attacked him in a fit of humiliation and rage. Though the shock had been great, Ty Lee had immediately thrown in her lot with Azula's, taking down guard after guard with her chi-blocking jitsu. After the briefest of pauses, Mai had unleashed her stilettos in defense of the princess. A small-scale battle had broken out right there in the throne room.

At first, Azula and her two companions had the upper hand. The three of them had been fighting side-by-side for many years already, and they worked together like a well-oiled war machine. Then the Fire Lord himself had roared down from his throne! Mai had felt the heat of the first blast of flame, and heard Ty Lee's agonized screams as she lay writhing on the ground. She had stepped forward then to fling out a handful of kunai knives; off-balance for the briefest moment, she'd only been able to avoid part of the second jet of fire, which had seared her right side and hip. Gasping, nearly blinded with tears of pain, she'd tried to lash out again, only to be struck down by a fireball that scorched her left shoulder and the side of her throat. She'd only been half-conscious when he had thrust his blazing hand into his sister's face; darkness had taken her soon afterward, as Azula's screams echoed in her ears.

There had followed a period of three or four weeks in prison. She had known that Ty Lee and Azula were locked away somewhere nearby, but had been mostly alone during that time, except for the occasional (painful) visits of the healer. Then she had been taken from her cell and brought before the court in chains. It had been Azula's trial, really – Mai and Ty Lee had remained in the background, on their knees, held firmly by guards. It had ended with all three of them being exiled from the Fire Nation. They had been wandering in the Earth Kingdom ever since, struggling to remain a step ahead of the countless bounty hunters and vigilantes after Azula's blood.

Abruptly, Mai stopped, swiveling her head. She was almost certain she had heard something, something that was neither the chattering voices of her companions nor the natural sounds of the forest around them. Eyes narrowing, she twisted her wrist, letting three knives slip down to rest loosely between her fingers. Her knees bent slightly as her gaze raked over the black contours of the bushes around her.

"Mai?" That was Ty Lee's voice, a sudden note of concern in it. "What's up?"

She didn't look at her. "I heard something," she said simply. She turned her head slowly, still searching.

Something shifted to her right! Mai spun on her heel, her arm sweeping wide as she brought her knives forward. Before she could release them, she felt two sickening pains shoot through her abdomen! Her battle-cry became a grunt as her knees gave way beneath her, throwing her down on her side. The throwing knives dropped from her limp fingers. She heard Ty Lee shout her name, but it sounded hazy in her ears.

Her own breaths seemed impossibly loud as they grated in and out. Every movement of her chest sent pains shooting through her belly. Her groping hands came away dripping with blood – she moaned. _What happened? What…what hit me? _She heard cries, and blearily opened her eyes in time to see a mighty wave of blue flame shoot past her. Then there was silence for a moment.

Not ten seconds later, she was being rolled onto her back. "Mai!" came Ty Lee's frantic voice. "Mai, are you all right? Talk to me!" Her hands grasped Mai's shoulders; the tall woman hissed through her teeth as pain knifed through her.

"Let her go, fool!" That was Azula. The former princess fairly shoved the contortionist aside as she leaned over their fallen comrade. Mai felt her robe being parted over her middle, and heard Ty Lee sucking in her breath in horror. Azula's voice came again. "Mai, you've been wounded. You're bleeding a lot – I think we're going to need to get you to a healer. We'll have to take you back to that town where you got the bread." Her voice was steady, but Mai thought she could detect a note of fear.

Gasping, the injured woman forced her eyes to focus on Ty Lee's face. _Am I dying? _She extended her bloodstained fingers toward her; the teary-eyed acrobat took them. "I'm sorry," Mai whispered, before weakness overcame her. Consciousness fled.


	3. Last Resort

"Nnngh.." Mai groaned through her teeth as she felt herself being set down on the ground. Though her friends put her down as gently as possible, the jarring motion still sent needles of mortal pain shooting through her.

It was still dark – the pitch blackness of the hours between midnight and sunrise. They had finally reached the edge of the woods, and were within sight of the gates of the small Earth Kingdom town. –What was its name again? Taonan? She rocked her head against the makeshift stretcher they had made out of stout tree limbs, trying to distract herself from the dull, throbbing ache of her belly. It didn't work. She moaned again. Ty Lee's hand stroked her cheek absently.

"We have to figure out how to do this." Azula's voice was low as she peered at the guards at the gate. "They'd let you through with no problem, and probably Mai, too, since she's wounded. But they'll know who I am in a heartbeat if they see my face." The tip of one sharp fingernail traced idly over the border of the scar that marked her cheek.

"Can't you wear your hood up?" Ty Lee asked innocently. "I can do the talking. I make friends with people pretty well!"

The former princess set her mouth in a thin line. "That would work if they didn't ask to see my face, but I can't see them allowing that, Ty Lee," she said grimly.

"So I'll tell them that you were hurt in a Fire Nation attack and had your face badly burnt," the contortionist shrugged. "Then I'll tell them you don't like showing people your face anymore. They'll let it be, if I lie the right way." She paused. "Do you have any better ideas, Azula?"

"No." Azula ground her teeth, her golden eyes flicking from Mai to the city gates and back again. She sighed and pulled up her hood. "All right. You do the talking, Ty Lee. Let's get going. We have to get Mai to a healer, and now." The acrobat nodded, grasping her end of the makeshift stretcher. They made their way toward the gate.

Before they were halfway there, the guards had spotted them and assumed defensive earthbending stances. Ty Lee spoke first, before they could shout their warnings. "Please," she called out, "let us in. We need a healer! My friend's hurt."

"Are they, now?" One of them dropped out of his stance, moving forward to peer at them. Mai, blinking up at him, could make out a dark-skinned face topped with the distinctive wide helm of the Earth Kingdom army. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut as he peered at her. "Where's she hurt? What happened?"

"We were jumped by some bandits," Ty Lee explained, her gray eyes wide and innocently sincere. "I think they must have stabbed her in the stomach – she's bleeding a lot. Please, you do have a healer here, don't you?"

"Yeah, we do." He cast a doubtful look in Azula's direction. The firebender kept her head down, and the hood of her cloak effectively shielded her face. "Who's your quiet little buddy here, girl?"

Ty Lee looked solemn. She leaned forward with childish gravity, putting a hand to the side of her mouth as if to whisper. "That's my friend, Daiyu," she said softly. "She doesn't talk. We were hurt in a Fire Nation attack." The contortionist held up her scarred right arm a little. "She got her face burned," she added in a murmur. "It scarred her really bad. That's why she doesn't speak."

"Oh." He looked taken aback.

The other guard now dropped out of her earthbending stance. "Come on," she said, "let's just let them in. It looks like that one is hurt pretty bad."

"Well…all right." He turned aside to let them pass. "Do you need an escort to the healer's house?"

Ty Lee was about to agree, when Azula's head jerked. She glanced at the former princess, then shook her head. "No, thank you," she said softly, with a sweet smile. "You need to stay here and keep the city safe, right? Just tell us where it is, and we'll go."

"All right, honey." He stepped inside the gates and pointed into the darkness. "Just go along this street until you hit the beach, and follow that until you reach a house with a big courtyard. That's Katara's place, and if she can't fix you up, no one can."

This gave Ty Lee pause. She turned wide eyes to him, forgetting to look at Azula first. "Ka…tara?" she echoed, her voice suddenly a little sharper. "You don't mean Katara of the Southern Water Tribe? The Avatar's waterbending master?"

"That's the one." He nodded with a slight grin. "You better hurry. Get your friend patched up!" The contortionist finally looked at Azula – the woman's golden eyes glared at her from the depths of her hood. She made an impatient motion with one of her hands. Without a word, Ty Lee nodded at the guard, and they made their way into the settlement.

When they reached an open, circular area in the center of the town, they set down the stretcher again by unspoken agreement. Ty Lee's eyes were wide as she turned to her companion. "What do we do, Azula?" she whispered, her lips trembling. "Katara knows us. Katara knows _you!"_

"We don't have a choice." The former princess was scowling, her teeth grinding audibly. "There's no other towns for miles." She let out a short, bitter burst of laughter. "And to think that Father always said I was born lucky…" Ty Lee bit her lips. Azula looked down at Mai; the assassin was unconscious again. "Come on, Ty," she said quietly. "We'll surrender to the waterbender if we have to – for the time being."

"Surrender?" Ty Lee squeaked, as they picked up Mai and began to follow the coastline. "But…but, Azula, that's…"

"We'll do what we have to." Azula shot her a glare. "I don't like it any more than you do!" She turned her eyes back to their dimly-lit path. "Besides, you know as well as I do that the waterbender won't do anything to us. She's had chances to kill me before, and she didn't. She's weak that way. Just like my brother." Ty Lee said nothing.

They passed the outskirts of the town, still following the border where the mountainous land met the sea. The spray from the pounding waves swirled around them like mist. Their clothes were soon clinging to them damply. A house finally came into view. Neither of the young women spoke; they made their way toward it in silence. Ty Lee glanced worriedly down at Mai. The assassin was still out cold.

At the door, the two girls set down their companion and looked at each other. Azula seemed a bit uncertain. "Maybe I should do the talking here," she said. The contortionist nodded meekly. The former princess slowly pulled down the hood of her cloak, exposing her face to the light. Narrowing her eyes, Azula turned to the door and rapped on it sharply with her knuckles. There was a pause. The young woman was just about to knock again when they heard footsteps approaching. She took a step back – the door opened, and Azula found herself face-to-face with Katara.

When they had last seen each other, she and the waterbender had been the same height. Now Azula – who considered herself fairly short – was taller than Katara by a good four or five inches. Her features had sharpened a little; her nose, in particular, was more aristocratic than Azula remembered. Her sleepy eyes were still the same intense blue. As the former princess watched, those eyes widened, then suddenly blazed. "Azula!" The waterbender leaped back from the door, her hands flying to the water skin on her hip.

Lips tight, Azula stepped back, turning her head aside and raising her hands above her shoulders in surrender. "I come in peace!" she blurted, wincing as she saw the water bending toward her out of the corner of her eye. "Don't…" It struck her squarely in the center of the chest, throwing her backward into the dirt. Winded, she tried to get up; her limbs were suddenly encased in thick ice, pinning her down. Azula gasped. She heard Ty Lee yelp! Then there was silence.

A moment later, Katara's scowling face leaned over her. She felt the waterbender's slender fingers entangle themselves in her collar, jerking her roughly. "What are you doing here, Azula?" she snarled.

It was difficult to maintain one's composure while frozen to the ground at four o'clock on the morning, but Azula was determined to do it. "If you would kindly stop attacking me for a moment," she said acidly, "I'll tell you." Katara let go of her tunic, but the frown didn't soften. "Mai's hurt," the former princess said, jerking her head in the stretcher's general direction. "She needs a healer."

"Oh, really?" The waterbender glanced over to where the assassin lay. Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she glared back down at Azula. "And how do I know this isn't some kind of a trick?"

"I'm hardly in a position to do anything to you," the former princess growled, squirming against the ice. It didn't give; she sighed and lay still. "Look, I know you don't have any reason to trust me. Just…just help Mai." Her lips drew tightly over her teeth, and her throat seized up, but she managed to squeeze the words out. "Please."

Katara's eyebrows raised gracefully. She cocked her head and regarded Azula coolly for a moment, seemingly weighing her words. "Well. Since you asked me so nicely." She rose to her feet and vanished from Azula's range of sight. The former princess lay quietly, trying to banish the bitter taste of _begging_ from her mouth.

"Hey, Katara. Everything all right?" Azula's eyes flew wide open. _She knew that voice! _Craning her neck, she saw a tall woman standing at her feet, her powerful arms folded over her chest. She was dressed in a formfitting, sleeveless top and loose green pants. Her dark hair was twisted up into a bun, but much of it fell loosely over her face, falling in black spikes over her milky green eyes. The former princess groaned, letting her head fall back into the dust. Even though this woman had only been a tiny twelve-year-old the last time she had seen her, she knew who she was – Toph Bei Fong, the Avatar's powerful earthbending master. _Great. Just great. _Azula bit back a peal of bitter laughter. _Agni, this just gets better and better!_

"It's fine, Toph. I've got it under control." That was Katara's voice. "You remember Mai, Ty Lee and Azula, don't you?" Azula heard the earthbender suck in a sharp breath, and Katara giggled. "Seems Mai's had a bit of an accident. I think I'll have to take her inside to heal her properly. Could you help me carry her?"

"Sure." The former princess could hear the scowl in Toph's tone. The sounds of their voices faded as they moved into the house.

Ty Lee sighed. Azula twisted her head around until her gaze rested on the acrobat; she was flat on her face, splayed out, her limbs pinned down with similar sheaths of ice to the ones that held the former princess. "Well, that went better than I thought it would," she said cheerfully.

Azula scowled. "Shut up, Ty Lee." She rested her head back on the ground, glaring up at the stars overhead. This was too damned humiliating! Anxious minutes passed.

Abruptly, the ground underneath her shifted! Azula uttered a yelp of surprise as the bonds around her arms and legs shattered, and a tongue of rock shoved her to her feet. She staggered; the ground swallowed her legs to the knees as rock encased her arms to the elbows. Gasping, she looked up to see Toph dropping calmly out of her earthbending stance. "Long time no see, Princess," the earthbender said.

"We didn't come here to attack you," Azula growled, wriggling her arms.

"Maybe – maybe not. But it's always best to be safe where you're concerned, isn't it?" Toph reached out a long arm and grasped Azula firmly by the scruff of her neck. The former princess squirmed, wincing in discomfort as Toph plucked her out of the ground. "Come on in, Princess. Katara wants to talk to you."

They had laid Mai on a low cot. Katara had been bending over her; she rose and turned as the firebender was marched in. Toph released her grip on Azula's neck, and the former princess flexed her shoulders to ease the tenderness, still scowling. "It doesn't look good," the waterbender said, her voice quiet and clinical. "There's a lot of internal bleeding, and she's got two metal things stuck inside her – probably shuriken, or something like that. They've ripped her up inside. I can take them out, and I think I can stop the bleeding. It'll take a few sessions to try to repair all the damage. She'll be out for several days, at least." She shrugged one shoulder, eyeing Azula coolly.

"Then you can heal her." The former princess couldn't quite keep a note of relief out of her voice, to her own irritation.

"Maybe. I can't make any promises. Like I said, there's a lot of internal damage." Katara's eyes were cold. "So much for her; now for you, Azula. What's your story?"

"I don't have one," the firebender muttered. "She was hurt, we needed a healer, we came here, and here you were." The Water Tribe woman folded her arms smoothly across her chest, her dark brows raising skeptically. "Look, I don't care what you believe!" Azula snapped. "All I've been doing for the past six years is trying to stay alive. I could care less about you, or what happens to you. If you could please just heal Mai and let us go, we'll be out of your hair. I promise we'll steer clear of…of wherever this is."

"Taonan," Katara said automatically. She glanced at Toph. "Well?"

"Don't look at me. Azula lies well enough to fool even me." The earthbender shrugged with a grimace. Katara pursed her lips. "I say we throw her and the backflipping freak into a nice hole and seal them in. That way they can't pull anything."

Azula restrained herself with an effort, although she dearly wanted to kick a good wall of flame in Toph's direction. "I haven't fought back," she snarled. "Not one of us raised a hand against you!"

"That doesn't mean you won't -" Toph began.

"No." Katara shook her head finally, with a sigh. "She's right, Toph. They came to us for help. We can't just treat them like dirt…I mean, like enemies." The earthbender's eyebrows twitched. "I don't think they'll try anything – not while Mai is the way she is. Let's give them a break."

"I'd like to give them a _break,_ all right." Toph's blind eyes glowered in Azula's direction, and the princess glared back in kind. "But fine, fine. Have it your way." She raised a hand and clenched it in the air; the stone shackles around Azula's wrists crumbled into powder. The firebender rubbed her arms with her palms. "I think we should put them up in that little house Aang built for me last Spring. I'll feel better if they're not in the same place as us!"

Katara nodded distractedly, turning back to the unconscious woman on the bed. "Okay. Could you take them over there, then, Toph? This is going to take me a while."

"I'm on it." Toph smiled acidly at Azula. "After _you, _Princess," she said, gesturing at the door. With as much dignity as she could muster, Azula left the house.

Toph freed Ty Lee from her restraints, remaining in a defensive stance as the acrobat got up and dusted the dirt off her clothes. "See that hill there?" the earthbender said calmly, jerking her chin. Azula looked and grunted in the affirmative. "Start walking. Both of you," Toph added, scowling in Ty Lee's direction. The contortionist shrugged, her smile as cheerful as ever, and fell into step about three paces behind Azula. The former princess was still seething, but she had made up her mind to cooperate – for now. Before long they came upon a small, one-room structure, with windows in each of the four walls. "There you go," Toph said. "You can sleep there. Take my advice and stay there until I come to get you, Princess. I can't say what some folks in this town would do if they saw you."

Azula smirked. _And I can't say what I'd do to them, either_. "We're not going anywhere. We're not here to cause trouble."

"You'd better not be." Toph turned away. "Good night." And she stalked off, her hands clenched into fists by her sides.

The house was unfurnished, except for a wooden table in one corner. The former princess chose a corner and laid herself down without a murmur; she was used to sleeping on the ground by now. "We'd better get some rest, Ty Lee," she muttered. "We don't know what we'll have to deal with tomorrow." She paused, wondering if one of them ought to stand guard. "You take first watch. We're still in enemy territory."

"Is Mai going to be all right?" Ty Lee wanted to know. Her gray eyes were wide and wet as she slowly settled down to watch the doorway. "Did…did Katara say?"

"She said it'll take a few days," Azula said shortly, closing her eyes. "Mai's going to be fine. I'm going to sleep. Wake me at dawn." The acrobat, mercifully, fell silent. Azula's muscles ached with exhaustion. It took only a minute or two for her to fall fast asleep.


	4. Waken

There was a roof above her head.

Mai blinked, her brow furrowing, searching for the sky that would usually be spread overhead on her awakening. It was conspicuously absent. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember why on earth she would be lying on an actual _bed – _her fingers brushed over the blanket that lay over her – and sleeping under a roof. Had they actually managed to get a room in an inn? It had been months since they had dared to do that…she winced at a sudden pain in her abdomen, and groaned a bit, trying to clear her fogged head. She heard approaching footsteps. A cool hand brushed softly over her cheek. "Are you awake, Mai?" She opened her eyes again.

An unfamiliar face was leaning over her – a woman's dark face, with a long nose and bright blue eyes, framed by dark brown, wavy hair. She was plainly Water Tribe. Mai's brow creased. Wait – was the face an unfamiliar one? She thought she should recognize it from somewhere…

"Mai." The woman pressed her hand more firmly on her face. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." The assassin blinked in growing confusion. "Who…what…"

"You were injured," the woman said quietly. "You took two _bo-shuriken _in the gut. I got them out, but I think it'll be a while before you're up and about again." Mai tried to sit up; the tightening of her stomach muscles sent spasms of pain ripping through her body, and she fell back against the pillows with a gasping groan. "Shh!" The woman gently pressed her down. "Don't try to move. I still haven't been able to knit everything back together properly yet. Just lie still."

There was a nagging thought at the back of Mai's mind. "Azula?" she whispered.

The dark face remained calm, but the flicker of a frown passed briefly across the woman's brows. "Your friends are still resting," she said calmly. "They were pretty tired by the time they got here. I imagine Azula will come to see you once they've slept. Here, drink a little." The rim of a cup touched Mai's lips, and cool water trickled into her mouth. The assassin drank feebly.

_No. No, this wasn't right. _Mai's brows knitted as the dark-skinned woman turned away from her. She was starting to remember what had happened. Azula and Ty Lee had carried her a long way, she knew, and there was something about an Earth Kingdom soldier…she could picture him in her mind, leaning over her, but that was the last thing she remembered. Had they been captured? Were her companions in prison, or worse? With a burst of strength, Mai shot out one long, white hand and caught the waterbender's wrist. The woman turned back to her, eyes widening in surprise and alarm. "_Azula,_" the assassin insisted, putting all the force she could behind the words. "Ty Lee…want them _here."_

The woman searched her face for a moment with a frown – then her expression softened, and she sighed. "All right, Mai," she said gently. "I'll send for them, if it'll make you feel better." She held up a stern finger. "But you have to promise to rest afterward!"

"Promise," Mai murmured, letting her hand fall back onto the bedspread. Even that small bit of effort had tired her. A fog of exhaustion fell over her mind; she lay there, fighting to stay awake.

She had just given up to the point of closing her eyes when voices pulled her back to wakefulness. Female fingers encircled hers. "Mai? Are you all right?" She looked up to see Ty Lee leaning over her. There were dark circles under her eyes, but she was smiling faintly. "Hey," she said, seeing the invalid's eyes focusing on her. "How are you?"

"Tired." The assassin pulled her hand out of Ty Lee's and felt it, as if to reassure herself that the girl was really there. "You okay?"

"We're fine." The acrobat's huge gray eyes misted as she smiled. "Don't worry about us, okay, Mai? They're putting us up until you're strong enough to travel again. Just concentrate on getting better."

Mai's brows knitted again, her eyes searching the room past the acrobat. "Azula," she muttered. "Need to see…"

At this, Ty Lee moved back. The piercing golden eyes of the former princess swam into focus above her. Relief flooded Mai's heart. _I'm supposed to protect her, _she thought dimly. _Have to make sure she's safe._ She groped for Azula's arm. It felt comfortingly warm and solid beneath her fingertips. "Azula," she whispered, struggling to form the words. "You okay?"

Azula smirked. To someone who didn't know her, the expression would have seemed cold, but Mai could detect the softness at the corners of the crimson lips. "We can take care of ourselves for a while," she said calmly. "You don't need to trouble yourself, Mai. Your job right now is to heal. Understood?"

_Understood. _The faintest hint of a smile twitched Mai's mouth as she let her hand rest on the bed again. "Yes, Princess."

"Katara will take care of you. Just let her do her job." Azula's brows lowered sternly. "Now get some sleep. That's an order!" _Katara...? _Mai knew that name, but she was too tired to really consider it. She closed her eyes in unthinking obedience.

Azula gazed down, watching as the assassin's pale face relaxed into sleep. She let the back of her hand brush against Mai's cheek for a moment – it was cool and dry to the touch, which was good. She drew back and turned cool eyes to Katara, who was watching in silence. "She's getting better?"

"Hopefully. It's hard to say at the moment." The healer shrugged one shoulder – the gesture was fluid. "She's lost a lot of blood, so she's still pretty weak, and it's too early to tell if there's infection or not. We'll know more in a day or two." Katara drew a stool up beside the invalid's cot and uncorked her water skin. "Now, if you two ladies will go find some way to amuse yourselves, I'm going to work on her a bit more."

Azula's eyes narrowed a bit. She saw Ty Lee's lips quiver, and considered rebelling for a moment. Then, with a resigned roll of her eyes, she turned to the door. "Come on, Ty Lee. We don't want to outstay our _welcome." _The contortionist hesitated for a second or two, then mournfully followed on her companion's heels. The door closed behind them.


	5. Caged

Azula was pacing the floor mechanically, her feet striking the stone underneath them in a precise rhythm. _Tap…tap…tap. _Every now and then her amber eyes would flick to one of the sealed windows or, more often, the blocked door of the small house in which they were trapped. _Trapped – trapped like rats, like…like prisoners! _She could feel the mingled panic and rage bubbling up in her throat. Her breathing rate threatened to spike. With iron control, she forced her breaths back into their former rhythm; she reached the wall, turned on her heel, and headed back along the wall. _Tap…tap…tap._

Ty Lee was sitting cross-legged by the door with her shoulders slouched and her arms wrapped around herself. She looked for all the world like she was trying to vanish. It was irritating! Azula shot her a glare. "Stop it, Ty Lee!" she snapped. The acrobat looked up at her with wide eyes, nodded meekly, and shifted her position a bit. Scowling, Azula resumed her measured breathing and counted her steps. _Tap…tap…tap._

A few hours before, Toph had sternly marched the two of them back to the tiny house in which they had spent the night. Katara, she had informed them, was running a waterbending school, and _they_ (Azula and Ty Lee) were to remain hidden while the students were in the area. With this, the earthbender had calmly left them. A moment later, sheets of rock had shot up to cover the four windows and the door, trapping the two Fire Nation women inside. Being a firebender, Azula had managed to light the oil lamp on the table, but that was it. Now, all she could do was pace the floor as her neck muscles grew tighter and tighter.

_Tap…tap…tap. _Who knew what was going on out there? _Tap…tap…tap. _They could be selling them to some bounty hunter! _Tap…tap…tap. _They could be gathering a lynch mob, complete with pitchforks! _Tap…tap…tap. _What if that earthbending witch was just planning on letting them starve to death in this damnable hole? _Tap…tap…_

"_Damn it!" _Azula exploded suddenly, spinning around to face Ty Lee. Her fists clenched in fury. "I can't stand this. We can't just sit here and wait for them to backstab us. We can't just leave Mai out there!"

The contortionist's head lowered visibly. "I…guess not, Azula," she murmured, her eyes averted. "What should we do?"

Uttering a long string of profanities, Azula unleashed a blast of flame at the unyielding door. Ty Lee whimpered and shrank back; aside from a slight scorch mark, the granite was unaffected. The former princess dealt the slab of stone three or four hard kicks! It was no use. With a snarl, Azula threw herself down and buried her face in her hands. There was silence.

"She said she'd let us out," came the tentative voice of Ty Lee. Azula's piercing eyes glinted at the acrobat through her fingers, and the girl flinched visibly, but pressed on anyway. "Toph, I mean," she explained softly. "She said she'd let us out once the waterbending lessons were over."

"I don't care what she _said. _People can _say_ anything." The firebender hugged her own elbows, rocking back and forth a little. "Liars and…and traitors, all of them. I can't trust anyone!"

Ty Lee looked hurt. "Azula," she whispered, "you can trust _me."_

The firebender shot her a sidelong glance. There was silence; then some of the tension drained from Azula's muscles. She rubbed her eyes wearily. "I'm so tired of this," she muttered. "I'm so _tired _of it, Ty!" Her knees drew up to her chest, and she rested her cheek against them. "Don't you just wish it would end sometimes?" Her head moved so that she could look at the acrobat without lifting it. "Don't you ever get sick of sleeping on the ground and never getting enough to eat and running for your life?"

The contortionist's gray eyes were solemn. "Sometimes, yes," she admitted. "But I'm not leaving you, and neither is Mai!" Her full lips pouted stubbornly. "Besides, it'll get better someday. Things can't go on like this forever."

"No." Azula shook her head dolefully. "No, they can't." Her eyes narrowed and fixed themselves on the blocked door again. Her toes began to drum against the floor. _Tap…tap…tap._

"Azula." Ty Lee moved forward until she was kneeling beside the firebender. She was smiling gently; Azula scowled and looked away, never wavering her rhythm. "Zula," Ty Lee said again, softly, using the nickname from their childhood. "It's all right. They just don't want anyone to know we're here. It's for our own good, you know! The less people who know where we are, the better. You've always said that, right?"

"I suppose," the petite woman said darkly. Her boot kept tapping.

Tentatively, Ty Lee slid up beside her. Azula stiffened as she felt the acrobat's arms slip around her shoulders. "It's all right," she said again. "Just relax. Mai will be stronger in a couple of days, and then we can go somewhere safer." The firebender started to snarl – then sighed in defeat. Her stiff muscles relaxed, and she leaned into her friend, letting her black head rest against the crook of Ty Lee's neck. Her amber eyes closed.

Back in the days when they had lived in the royal court of the Fire Nation, Azula would never have done this. She had, of course, both received and given hugs – but only when it was to her political benefit. She had used them as one of the methods to keep her companions on her side. Ty Lee, for example, had always needed them. (Mai never had.)

Then had come the fateful day when her brother had called her into the throne room. She remembered kneeling and bowing before him, masking her distaste at having to do so. The full court had been assembled, to her mild surprise; she had waited, her forehead pressed to the glossy black marble beneath her knees, for him to speak. His words, when they came, had been angry, accusing. (And, she had to admit, uncannily accurate.) She and her two compatriots had been slowly and subtly gathering allies among the noble classes, trying to build enough of a following to begin to challenge the Fire Lord's power. Zuko had named names, even producing intercepted letters; _that_ had made her wince, even as she seethed. Then he had fixed her with a regal glare. "Tell me something, Azula," he had said, his voice infuriatingly lofty. "Can you give me one good reason not to have you whipped?"

_Whipped! _How _dare _he? Only commoners and _slaves_ were flogged! Wild rage had flooded her at the insult. She forgot that she was still in court – forgot the political game they were playing, a game that she played much better than he did. Leaping to her feet, she had thrown a mighty wave of blue fire at the figure on the throne.

The curtain of flames before the throne had, of course, snuffed out her assault, and the imperial guards had attacked her. A nimble figure dressed in pink had joined her side of the fray an instant later. Azula had smiled knowingly at this, her eyes glittering as she fought. A heartbeat after _that, _a flurry of well-thrown spikes had begun to take down the attacking soldiers, and the princess's eyes had opened in mild surprise at Mai's defection. She'd known, of course, that Mai had been willing to plot against her betrothed in the political arena, but hadn't expected her to actually be willing to turn traitor.

The three of them had been a force, a perfect storm of scorching flame, deadly grace and whispering steel. She had just begun to think about simply taking the throne this way – by _force – _when Zuko himself had roared through the wall of flames, a fire blast exploding from his fist! The unexpected attack had caught Ty Lee squarely, searing her right arm from shoulder to elbow. From the sound of her screams, Azula had known the acrobat wouldn't be getting up again. She had attacked her brother with another fireball, which he had dispelled effortlessly. Then he had felled Mai with two quick jets of fire. Azula had stared at him in dismay as he turned on her. She remembered attacking him with all her strength. Just as he had at their Agni Kai, he had simply thrown aside her flames, and then leaped at her. She only had time to utter a despairing shriek as his burning palm had thrust toward her left eye.

Azula shuddered at the memory, turning her face into Ty Lee's shoulder, and heard the acrobat murmur something soothing. The firebender sighed. When they had first been exiled, they had fled to the Earth Kingdom. For the first few months, Azula had been intent on marshaling forces against her brother. They'd gone first to Ba Sing Se, hoping to capitalize on their connection to the army of Dai Li. The attempt had been foiled – _easily, _Azula thought darkly – by her Uncle Iroh and the Order of the White Lotus. Barely escaping with their lives, they had tried next to infiltrate the ranks of the loosely-organized resistance movement. Unfortunately, most of the rebels wanted Azula dead because of her role in the razing of a few Earth Kingdom villages. (Okay, so she might have gone a little overboard in the crushing of the peasantry at the time.) Again, the three girls had just managed to avoid being killed. They had been running ever since.

It was during their years of flight that the change had really taken root in Azula. She had begun to fully realize that she had lost _everything. _Her power was gone – only two people in the world still stood by her, and she had no way to keep them there. Her wealth was gone – she had literally nothing but the clothes on her back. Her freedom was gone – there was no place left in the world where she could really rest. Even her beauty was gone, scorched from her face by her own brother! Azula had plunged into a black depression.

She'd fully expected Mai and Ty Lee to leave her. After all, they didn't bear the stigma that she did, and Mai still had connections in the Earth Kingdom. Once they saw that Azula had nothing left to offer them, she thought they would abandon her to her fate. They never had. As the difficult months went on, Azula had begun to see that she _needed_ them. She needed Ty Lee's cheerful groundedness, her compassionate heart. She needed Mai's shrewd intelligence, her cool decisiveness. Most of all – and this had hurt Azula's pride – she needed their friendship, their mere _presence._ As it really sank in that the two girls weren't going to leave her, these realizations had turned into gratitude, and the first faint beginnings of real affection.

Even after all these years, Azula still wasn't completely comfortable with any kind of love. Ty Lee still had to work to get the firebender to relax, and it was rare that Azula would unbend enough to actually accept a full-on embrace. Nonetheless, the former princess was beginning to come to terms with her friends, and even to really trust them. It was as close as she had ever come to normal relationships.

Azula breathed deeply, opening her eyes. She felt better; the compulsion to pace and rage at their temporary imprisonment had faded. She sat up, pulling herself gently out of Ty Lee's embrace. Her golden eyes looked at the acrobat briefly through their fringe of soft, black lashes. "Thank you," she muttered.

Ty Lee smiled. "You're welcome," she said.


	6. Birthday Gifts

It had been three days since the refugees had arrived in Taonan. Mai seemed a bit better; she was sitting up in her bed, propped up with pillows, and sipping gingerly at a bowl of hot broth. Ty Lee was chattering to her about something in which Azula had no interest. The firebender was leaning against a wall, watching, her arms folded over her chest. Her eyes were narrow.

She was, in fact, getting nervous. She and her companions never stayed in one place for longer than a few days, in order to stay ahead of those who were tracking them. Now they were not only staying in one place, they were _stuck_ there – and Mai wasn't healing as quickly as they'd hoped, so they would most likely have to stay for several days _more! _Her lips pressed together tightly. She shifted her weight and sighed, and felt the blind eyes of Toph on her. _Ugh! _Irritated, she shot the earthbender a heated glare, regardless of the fact that she couldn't see it. The blind woman had been on her like a rash since they had arrived, making no secret of the fact that she didn't trust her. The constant monitoring was infuriating.

The atmosphere in the sickroom suddenly seemed very close. Azula pushed away from the wall. "I'm going out for some air," she said curtly, then glanced at the earthbender and smiled with false sweetness. "Are you going to follow me, Toph?"

"Nah." The cloudy eyes turned away from her. "I'll be watching you, though." The firebender bit back a nasty retort and stalked from the room.

The courtyard outside the house opened to the sea. It was a deep blue-green color, broken by lines of froth. Azula breathed the salt air, her eyes lifting to trace along the unbroken horizon. Somewhere across that ocean lay the Fire Nation – the home she would never see again. She felt a brief pang, but it passed. She'd come to terms with her exile, to some extent; she'd accepted that the Fire Nation was now closed to her. A deep sigh expanded her ribs. _Now, if only I could find some place that isn't closed to me! I think then I could learn to be happy, at least a little…_

Sharp yapping shattered the stillness! Azula spun around in surprise and alarm, her hands rising instinctively into a firebending stance. A very fluffy little beast stood in the mouth of the courtyard, barking and running back and forth excitedly, its beady little eyes fixed on the firebender. _A raccoon-dog, _Azula thought in confusion, wondering where it had come from. A moment later, a woman came into view. She stopped when she saw Azula, and they stared at each other in silence.

The woman was Fire Nation – that much was obvious. She was about the same height as Azula, and had the lithe, slim body of a dancer. Her hair was dark brown, cut in short, ragged locks that hung over her half-closed eyes. She had a bit of a snub to her nose, but her face was delicate, almost elfin. There were multicolored patches on her clothes. Her boots were caked with old dirt.

Azula had time to take in all of this before the half-closed eyes suddenly flew wide open, and the woman's lazy curiosity abruptly turned to shock and fury. "You," she gasped out, suddenly falling into what Azula recognized as a firebending stance. "_You!" _An instant later, a spinning kick had unleashed a ball of fire in the exile's direction!

The former princess let out a cry of surprise as she dove to one side, coming up with her feet set and her hands out. Her reflexes had been honed by her years of military training and watchfulness; she shot out one arm, the palm of her hand spewing a long tail of blue flame directly at the woman's chest. She did wonder, briefly, what reason this particular woman had for wanting to kill her. The thought died as her attack was deflected, and more fireballs began to spatter the courtyard as Azula dodged them.

_I mustn't fight back! _The exile sprang away, barely avoiding a crackling burst of fire. _If I hurt this woman, they'll all blame me. - Agni! _ - As a sweep of flames very nearly scorched her ankles. _If I knew who the hell this woman was, I'd try to reason with her. Damn it, Ty Lee, where are you? _A fire whip lashed inward! She threw herself to the side. Her body connected, hard, with the stone wall of the house. Stunned, Azula fell to her hands and knees. She raised her head in time to see her attacker powering up for another fireball. There would be no time to dodge it. The exile screwed her eyes shut and cringed, waiting.

Instead of flames, she felt her body suddenly encased in cold stone! Azula's eyes flew open to see the woman lying limply on the ground. Ty Lee stood over her, fists still clenched, her face screwed into a petulant scowl. Toph was also nearby; her eyes glared dangerously in Azula's direction.

"_Kailas!" _Another unfamiliar woman appeared. She ran to the side of the fallen firebender, wringing her hands. "Kailas…what did you _do _to her?"

"All right, everybody just calm down!" Toph grasped Ty Lee – who was snarling at the new stranger – by the collar and pulled her firmly away. "Hova, Kailas is all right. The circus freak just poked a couple of her pressure points. It'll wear off." She shot another glare in Azula's direction. "Come on. Let's get her inside and get to the bottom of this. I'll explain things there."

"That's not fair!" the exile protested, squirming in her restraints. "She _attacked_ me!" Ignoring her, Toph lifted the unconscious firebender into her arms and headed into the house. With an unfriendly glance at Azula, the other unknown woman followed. The acrobat turned to go as well. "Ty Lee! Are you just going to leave me here?" Azula cried in outrage.

Ty Lee looked at her reproachfully. "Well, _someone's _got to plead your case!" she said. The former princess fell silent at this. She watched as the contortionist vanished.

This was not fair. This was _not fair! _Azula fought savagely against the rock that imprisoned her body, screaming through her teeth. "I didn't _do_ anything! She attacked me. _She _attacked _me!" _There was no response. She wanted to sob in her helpless fury. With one last jerk on her restraints, Azula fell silent, her teeth grinding. She could only wait. Her anger slowly faded, leaving only weariness.

It seemed like a long time before movement again caught her eye. Azula raised her tired eyes to find Toph approaching her. She closed her eyes as the earth released her body and the strong hand closed around the scruff of her neck. "Toph, I didn't do anything wrong," she said, keeping her voice steady with an effort. "I didn't attack her!"

"I know you didn't. She told me." The earthbender effortlessly plucked the smaller woman to her feet. "Let's go inside. You and Kailas need to talk this out."

"I don't even know who she is," Azula growled, trying vainly to free herself from the blind woman's grip as they walked. "What the hell is there to talk about?"

"Guess you'll find out when she tells you." Toph shifted her hand from the scruff of Azula's neck to the collar of her shirt. This was, at least, less painful. The firebender scowled as she was half-dragged into the house.

Kailas was sitting on a cushion in the living room, sipping at a steaming cup. The other unfamiliar woman was kneeling beside her on the floor. Azula looked at her in idle curiosity. She was shorter than the firebender, but had the same slender build. Her light brown hair was braided back from her face. She had dark green eyes. _Earth Kingdom, _Azula thought. Then her scrutiny ended, for two pairs of hostile eyes fixed themselves on her. The exile glanced in the direction of Katara and Ty Lee; the two women didn't speak.

Toph released Azula. "Go ahead, Kailas," she said, folding her powerful arms across her chest. "Azula will listen."

There had been a subtle threat in those words. The former princess felt her eyes narrowing. She had to keep herself in check as Kailas set down her cup and rose to her feet. The woman's eyes were hidden by her unruly locks of brown hair, but there was anger in the lines of her mouth. "Do you remember me, _Princess?"_

Azula almost sighed. _What is it with all these people expecting me to remember them? If I had a copper for every time someone asked me that, and then tried to kill me…_ However, she dutifully searched the woman's face, trying to catch any glimmer of familiarity. She felt none. "No," she said quietly. "I don't."

"I'll give you a hint. You met me on your – _our -_ birthday." The woman's lips curled in a sneer as she jerked her collar to one side, baring the red path of an old burn scar on her shoulder. "You gave me a present."

_Oh. _Azula winced involuntarily as the memory came flooding back. She had been eight years old. That had been the year that she had begun to truly master the blue flames; it had also been the year that she had begun to realize what power she wielded. She'd asked her father to bring her any female firebenders who shared her birthdate. Four had come: an older woman, twin six-year-old girls, and a tall, gawky preteen. Azula had deliberately burned each of them, delighting in their cries of pain, and in the feeling of sheer _power_ that had flowed through her.

She remembered that gawky girl – the brown hair, the half-shut eyes, the faint smile. The guards had struck her to her knees, and Azula had bent a pitiless arc of fire across the girl's chest with a spinning kick. It had been a long time ago – fourteen or fifteen years, now.

Long ago or not, Azula remembered.

_Oh, gods. _The former princess turned her face away, so that she was gazing down at the floor to her right. They were all silent, all waiting for her to speak. Azula's jaw worked as she thought. "So what do you expect me to say?" She looked up, meeting Kailas's fiery gaze with her own. "Do you want me to tell you that I'm sorry? Do you want me to beg for forgiveness? What?"

"Nothing you can say will change anything." The older woman's voice was cold.

"That's right. It won't." Azula paused. _Was_ she sorry? She considered the question for a moment. It certainly hadn't been her most shining moment, she could admit that. The memory of it made her distinctly…uncomfortable. Azula glanced at Ty Lee; the acrobat was watching her with a furrowed brow and pouting lips. _She's disappointed, _Azula realized. _She's ashamed…of me._

That did more to tweak Azula's conscience than anything else could have. She sighed and looked up at Kailas again. Even she could hardly believe what she was about to do. "For what it's worth," she said quietly, "I _am_ sorry." Five pairs of eyes stared at her in shock. Azula thought she even heard a disbelieving gasp from Ty Lee's direction; she felt a flicker of amusement at the fact. "I'm sorry," she repeated, "but it doesn't change anything. Like you said."

Kailas's eyes narrowed until only the barest gleam peeked from between her lids. She stalked forward, stopping with her toes almost touching Azula's, and thrust her face into hers. Azula stood her ground. The older woman's lips curled. "Maybe," she hissed, " I should bend some fire and mark _you."_

The exile regarded her quietly for a moment, weighing her options. Should Kailas actually try to harm her, she thought she could defend herself well enough. She needed to keep Katara and Toph placated, though, for Mai's sake. What would be the best response? She decided to call the firebender's bluff. "Do whatever you need to do, Kailas," she said calmly.

As she had hoped, this threw the woman off. Kailas actually took a step back and studied her with narrowed eyes.

The Earth Kingdom woman – what had Toph called her? Hova? – got up and rested a hand on the firebender's arm. "Kailas, come on," she said, with a watery smile. "Let's just take Fai home and cool off, all right? We can come back later."

"All right," Kailas muttered. Her hooded amber eyes glinted as Hova scooped up the raccoon-dog and headed for the door; she jabbed Azula's chest hard with the tip of her finger. "This is _not over, _Princess!" she snarled. Then, shooting a glare at Katara – who winced – Kailas followed her companion out the door.

Azula lowered her head, the older woman's parting words still ringing in her ears. An endless parade of angry, accusing faces rose before her mind's eye. _Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, Long Feng… _"No, Kailas," she whispered. "You're right. It's not."


	7. Lockjaw

Mai opened her eyes.

It was very dark – probably past midnight. Her head ached, and the muscles of her back and neck felt stiff and sore. She could feel herself shivering. Moving her hand up to her face, she found her cheeks damp with cold sweat. She groaned.

There was movement in the corner. A moment later, Katara was leaning over her, her eyes luminous in the darkness. The waterbender had taken to sleeping in a large chair in the sickroom, and she slept lightly. "What is it, Mai?" she murmured. "Is something wrong?"

"Cold," Mai muttered. Her teeth chattered.

The Water Tribe woman's hand felt like ice against the assassin's forehead. She flinched away from it, her shivering growing more pronounced. "Hm. You're burning up, Mai." Katara sounded concerned. She moved away for a moment or two, returning with another blanket, which she spread over the Fire Nation woman's body. "Here. This will help a little. I'll make you some tea that will make you sleep." Katara took a step toward the kitchen, then stopped and turned back. "Actually, let me get a closer look at you first."

"F-fine." The assassin huddled under the blankets as the waterbender lit a lamp.

Katara's brown face was calm. Mai continued to shiver as the healer's hands rubbed lightly over her; she winced when the woman's fingers brushed over the sore muscles of her shoulders. Katara paused. "Does this hurt?" she asked, applying gentle pressure. The assassin's breath hissed a little in response. Katara moved her fingers up Mai's neck, drawing a soft groan. "Hm." There was a half-frown on the woman's face, now. "Open your mouth – as wide as you can." To her surprise, the assassin found that she couldn't part her teeth farther than an inch or two; the muscles of her jaw felt oddly stiff. Katara's frown deepened. "Have you noticed your facial muscles twitching at all, Mai?"

"Maybe a bit." Mai recalled her cheeks having tightened involuntarily once or twice as she had tried to go to sleep the night before. "Why?"

The healer blew out a slow breath. "Because I think you're going to be a very sick woman," she said, her voice suddenly gentle. "I'm going to go make you that tea, and then I'm going to give you some medicine to take. I'll explain everything; just give me a few minutes. All right?"

"Fine." Mai hid the fear that was welling up inside her. _Sick? I can't be sick! I have to get well so we can get out of here. Some bounty hunter could track us down at any moment! _She considered just getting up and trying to find her two friends, but a violent fit of shivering put an end to that train of thought. Mai shut her eyes and pulled the blankets tighter around her body.

Katara returned with a steaming cup. Her arm slid under Mai's shoulders and drew her up into a sitting position. "Here," she said quietly, putting the drink in the assassin's hands. Mai sipped. It hurt to swallow, but she forced the tea down, grimacing. Katara was watching her closely. "Are you having trouble swallowing?" The Fire Nation woman nodded. "Okay. Then maybe you should take this first, before the rest of your tea. It's more important." She gave Mai a small cup of liquid. It smelled strong. Without a word, the assassin downed it, shuddering at the taste. A few sips of tea washed the bitterness from her mouth.

The healer waited until Mai had finished, then helped her to lie down again. She set the cup down on a bedside table and sighed. "Mai, do you know what tetanus is?"

So _that_ was it. The assassin lay very still, her hooded eyes widening a bit as she realized what must have happened. While she had never done so herself, she had heard of people poisoning their shuriken. Obviously, whoever had wounded her out in the woods had been one of those people. "Yes." She looked up at Katara quietly. "Am I going to die?"

"No, Mai. Of course you're no -"

"Because if I am, I want you to send Azula and Ty Lee away." Mai's words were calm and precise. "It's dangerous for them to stay in one place for too long. If I'm going to die, I don't want them hanging around here waiting for it to happen."

Katara looked down at her in silence for a while. "I know how to treat tetanus," she said at last. "I can't guarantee anything, of course, but there's a very good chance that I can bring you through it. It will take a long time, though. Your body can spasm for as long as a month, and it can take months longer than that to fully recover…"

"Send them away," the assassin insisted.

"No." The Water Tribe woman shook her head firmly. "If you want them to leave, you're going to have to tell them yourself. They're your friends."

_Fair enough. _Mai nodded stiffly. "Bring them here," she said, her words clipped. Then, as Katara stared, "I have to tell them now. If I have tetanus, I won't be able to talk soon. Right?" The healer nodded slowly. "Bring them here," Mai insisted. "Please!"

"All right, Mai." Katara laid her hand on the assassin's forehead again, then turned away. "I'll be right back." In a moment, the Fire Nation woman was alone.

Mai lay back on her cool pillows, closing her eyes. She supposed that she ought to have been afraid, having just been told that she might die soon. She wasn't, though. Her mind was cold and rational instead - sifting through her memory for information about her illness, pondering their current situation, analyzing all possible courses of action. She had no doubt that it would be best for Azula and Ty Lee to leave. She, Mai, was no longer an asset to them; she was a liability, an albatross around their necks. They needed to cut her loose and run. She would miss them, of course. (A dull ache filled her chest at the thought.) She would miss them – but it would be for the best.

Ty Lee's coming was like a small storm. She burst through the door and fairly flung herself on top of Mai, weeping and clinging to her with both arms! The invalid squirmed and grunted in feeble protest. "Take it easy, Ty Lee!" came Azula's sharp voice. "She's _sick, _remember? Keep it down to a roar." Still whimpering, the acrobat released her grip. Azula moved to stand over Mai. The eyes of the former princess were guarded; Mai could see lines of tension in her face. "Not feeling too well, hey?" she said at length.

"You two need to go." Mai winced as a muscle spasmed painfully in her neck. "At best I'm going to be sick for months. You should go! I'll…I'll catch up later, if I can."

The wet eyes of Ty Lee grew huge and round. "No!" she cried. "No, Mai. I'm not leaving you!"

Azula didn't speak at first. She regarded Mai thoughtfully. "It's dangerous to stay in one place for so long," she said finally. "If you're going to be down for that long, I suppose it would be foolish for us to wait for you to recover." The acrobat's mouth fell open. Azula froze her with a glare before she could speak, then looked back down at Mai. "Tell me something first," she said, after considering her for a while longer. "Why did you stay with me, Mai? Why not go settle down somewhere safe?"

"What?" The assassin squinted up at her. She could feel herself getting groggy. _The tea must be working, _she thought dimly. "Azula…"

"Answer the question." The firebender knitted her brows, leaning down far enough to capture Mai's bleary gaze with her own. "You didn't have to stay with me. I had no way of holding you. You'd have been welcomed back in Omashu, or Ba Sing Se. You've got connections who would have taken you in. You could have lived in luxury instead of sleeping under the stars and chewing on bark to stay alive. So why stay? Why put your life at risk by choosing me?"

For the life of her, Mai couldn't figure out why Azula was asking. "Because…well, because I serve you. You're my princess, exiled or not." She blinked, trying to think.

"Mere loyalty, then? Force of habit?" Azula raised her brows archly.

"N-no," Mai mumbled. "You're my friend. I couldn't just abandon you…"

Azula's lips twitched into a triumphant smirk. "There it is – the truth. You stayed with me because you care what happens to me, the spirits only know why." She leaned a little closer, a frown now twisting her features. That, coupled with the disfiguring scar, made her look very intimidating. "So why would you insult me by suggesting that I would sink low enough to abandon you here, when you've given your life for me?" she demanded. "The least I can do is not run away like a frightened rat and leave you to die alone." There was a pause. "Besides," the firebender went on, straightening up and resuming her former nonchalance, "Katara says she can probably save you."

"You're not going, are you." Mai smiled a bit as Azula shook her head. "You're both idiots, you know that?" she murmured as her eyes closed.

Gentle fingers clasped hers. "I'll be here when you wake up, Mai." That was Ty Lee again, her voice choked. "I promise I will!" And Mai felt comforted, in spite of herself.


	8. New Thoughts

The sun was rising, casting its first rays over Taonan. Azula could feel them against her face; her firebending chi stirred within her. She inhaled deeply, from her diaphragm, and opened her eyes.

She was sitting in the middle of the courtyard, meditating, her back straight, her hands resting on the knees of her crossed legs. Having made the decision to stay in this village for the time being, she knew she was going to have to ward off attacks; her continued training was going to be vital. About an hour ago she had slipped out of Mai's room, leaving the assassin in the hands of Ty Lee. Azula slowly rose. Her feet shifted, her hands came up; breathing deeply once more, she began to move through her kata.

They began with simple punches, short bursts of pale blue flame coming off her knuckles and palms. She moved quickly, precisely, striving for perfection in every twitch of her muscles. Then came wider, sweeping motions of her arms; graceful tails of sapphirine fire followed her hands. She felt the warm glow of pleasure as she manipulated her native element; a slight smile crossed her face, briefly. Then it was back to business as she whirled her body around, bringing her foot up and slashing it back down again, sending a mighty arc of flame flying into the dirt. Her breathing remained deep and even, held by years of rigid discipline. Then came more difficult forms – flying kicks, foot sweeps, long strings of movements. Finally she leaped up, summersaulting in the air; a whirling wheel of fire burst from her heels, flying off over the ocean! Azula landed squarely and stood watching until the blue flames died in the distance.

_Now – the lightning kata. _Her feet shifted again, instinctively placing themselves one behind the other. Her hands came together in front of her, index and middle fingers extended; swiftly, with deadly grace, she brought them back behind her, tracing shining arcs of power in the air, like deadly wings. She could feel the heady rush of positive and negative energy shimmering in her body, all of it focused in her fingertips. For one delicious moment, she savored the power – then brought her hands together. A mighty burst of lightning shot from her arms, crackling over the sea! The resulting thunder rumbled in the ground under her feet.

There was silence in the aftermath. Azula quietly sat down again, resting her hands back on her knees. It was peaceful. The young woman allowed her body to relax as she cleared her mind and focused on her firebending chi. There it was – warm and pulsing and quicksilver, rising and falling up and down her spine with her breath. She concentrated, drawing it up to the top of her head, then letting it spill like liquid down through her chakras. In a way, this was the most important part of firebending. So long as she had control of her chi and her breathing, she had control of the fire. _Up. _The energy struck each chakra again, climbing slowly up her spinal column as she drew it. _Down. _It trickled slowly back toward her tailbone as she carefully let it retrace its path.

Suddenly, she sensed a presence nearby! Whether she had actually heard anything or not, she wasn't sure. Instinctively, she rolled forward, coming up on her feet; she heard a crunch as her eyes flew open. Spinning on her heel, she saw a gigantic boulder flying straight for her chest! Her leg whipped around to shatter it. Flying fragments of stone stung her cheeks as her eyes searched desperately for her attacker.

There were three figures converging on Azula, all of them unfamiliar. One of them was a gigantic Earth Kingdom man, his features blunt, clutching a huge club. The second was Fire Nation, a small, weasely-looking man with a scraggly black goatee. The one in the middle was Earth Kingdom, his long brown hair tied back, his dark green eyes flashing. She guessed that he was the earthbender. Snarling, she set her feet.

"Now, now, Princess. You be a good girl and come quietly, and we won't have to hurt you!" The earthbender smiled nastily.

_Huh. Must be bounty hunters, then. No vigilante would say that. _Azula didn't wait for them to attack her again. She spun on the ball of her left foot, growling, swinging her right up and across. A ring of blue flames burst out from where she stood, flying at the three men. She followed that by pivoting on her right and kicking with her left, sending a second wave of fire after the first! Then she came down, anchoring her feet on the ground, all of her senses alert.

The Fire Nation man was down on the ground, screaming in a way that would certainly attract attention soon. The other two seemed to have avoided her attacks. The gigantic club lashed at her head! Azula ducked and leaped away. The ground twisted under her feet as she landed, and she fell. She felt a burst of pain as her knuckles scraped against a stone, but she was quickly on her feet again. Azula looked up in time to see several more large rocks flying at her; with swift, powerful kicks, she deflected or shattered all of them. Again she went on the offensive, dropping low to the ground and sweeping out her left foot, whipping a low wave of blue fire at the giant with the mace. He stumbled in his efforts to avoid it, teetered on the edge of the cliffs, and then vanished from sight with a cry of terror.

There was only one left – the earthbender. Azula faced him, her amber eyes blazing with anger and triumph, her fists held up. He was in his horse stance, but his face betrayed his fear. _He's done. _The firebender smirked as she drew back her arm to attack one last time.

"Wait! Azula, stop!" That was Katara's voice. Startled, the firebender paused in the act of unleashing a fireball. The Water Tribe woman had appeared at the entrance to the courtyard. As Azula watched, a wave of water flew at the surprised earthbender; in an instant, he was frozen in ice up to his chin.

An instant later, Toph and Ty Lee appeared behind the waterbender. "Azula!" Ty Lee cried, running to her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." The black-haired girl slowly let her fists come down. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead. "Can't say the same for them, though," she added darkly, snarling in the direction of the Fire Nation man, who was still whimpering on the ground. "Fools!" she muttered, more to herself than to the acrobat.

"You're bleeding." Ty Lee stared with wide eyes at Azula's hand.

The former princess barely glanced at it. "Just barked my knuckles. It's nothing." She glanced at the blind earthbender. "Toph, one of them went over the cliff." Wordlessly, the green-eyed woman nodded, and vanished down the path that led to the shore a few seconds later.

"What happened?" Katara had healed the Fire Nation man and frozen him to the ground. Now she looked sternly at Azula, her dark brows drawn together, her sapphire eyes flashing. Her tone was demanding.

"I was doing my kata, and they attacked me." Azula met her gaze defiantly. "They're probably bounty hunters. It's not the first time it's happened."

"Do you _know _how _bad_ this could get?" The dark woman rose to her feet angrily. "We'll have to get the guards involved now. Do you know what could happen if they find out you're here? This could be serious!"

"So what did you expect me to do – kneel down quietly and let them take my head off, or something?" the firebender snarled. "I don't know if you've noticed, but they were trying to kill me." She swept up a hand as Katara opened her mouth to speak again. "I'm done here!" she snapped. "All I did was defend myself. I'd do it again, too. So you can keep your sugary little sermons to yourself!" With that, she stomped back into the house, pausing only to jerk the door closed behind her.

Mai was still sleeping, her long black lashes resting on her cheeks. The red flush of fever stained her cheeks and brow. Azula threw herself down on the chair beside the bed, still furious, and scowled to herself. At first, she expected to hear Katara follow her in to continue the argument, but she didn't. The first heat of her anger dissipated. Slowly, with unwonted gentleness, she brushed a few strands of coal-black hair from Mai's sleeping face. The assassin's skin felt hot and damp under her fingers. Azula sighed and dipped the rag from the bucket of water that sat beneath the cot, squeezing out the excess moisture and laying it across Mai's forehead. She didn't consider herself a very nurturing woman – this was unusual tenderness. "I hope that you appreciate this, Mai," she said, her voice quiet so as not to wake her. "I wouldn't do it for just anyone!"

She was tired, now. Neither she nor Ty Lee had gotten much sleep the night before, and the unexpected battle had taken a lot out of her. She let her hand fall to rest on Mai's white fingers. "If you need me, just shout," she said. "I'll still be here." With that, she made her way to the padded chair in the corner, draped herself over it, and closed her eyes. In a few moments, she was sound asleep.

Soft voices woke her some time later. Azula blinked a little, letting her eyes rove over the room without moving her head. Katara was sitting by Mai's bed, illuminated by a small lantern burning on the bedside table. The firebender cast a glance at the window, and was astonished to see that the sun was already setting. _I must have slept for hours! _she thought. She noticed Ty Lee curled up just below her chair, sound asleep.

Toph was standing beside Katara, her hand resting on the healer's arm. Her profile was visible to the firebender. "…Told them they weren't welcome here," she was saying. "I don't think they'll be back. Even if Azula hadn't killed their friend, I think she scared the pants off them!" The earthbender chuckled a bit. "We didn't have to involve the guards. It all turned out okay."

"More or less, anyway." Katara nodded quietly. "It worries me, Toph. If all these people are going to keep coming after Azula, she's not the only one in danger! Sooner or later, someone's going to get hurt."

The firebender pursed her lips. _She's right. _She let her eyes drift closed again, thinking. _Am I really doing Mai any favors by staying? All I'm doing is drawing assassins and bounty hunters here. I'm…I'm putting her in danger, just by being here. _Azula felt her brow furrow. _She needs someone to stay with her, but she's got Ty Lee. Maybe…maybe I should go?_

Katara was still talking. The former princess tuned back into their conversation. "…For the time being." She paused. Her voice, when she spoke again, was softer. "Did you go and talk to Kailas and Hova?"

"Yeah." Toph made a face. "Kailas is still pretty mad. She said she feels like we've betrayed her by taking Princess Fiery Britches in. It wasn't a good scene." She sighed. "I don't know if she's going to get over this one, Sugar Queen. I mean, Kailas is pretty easygoing for the most part, but this…this really upset her."

"Do you think she might tell the guards?" Katara asked worriedly.

"She said she wouldn't. I dunno." Toph shrugged. "It's possible, I guess. We'd probably better think about what we'll do if she does."

The Water Tribe woman was silent for a moment. "I wouldn't feel right turning her over to them," she said quietly. "As little as we might trust her, she really hasn't raised a hand against us – and she could have, Toph! She could have killed Kailas, for example." She sighed. "And the way she's stuck by Mai…I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

The earthbender nodded quietly. "How's Mopey doing, anyway?"

One brown hand slipped out to rest on Mai's cheek. "Her fever's still there, but it's not getting much worse yet. I'm keeping her sedated as much as possible, and I've been giving her the most powerful muscle relaxants I've got to keep the spasms under control. I doubt she's suffering much." Katara sighed again. "She's still very sick, though." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I don't know, Toph…I know I said I could save her, but…I just don't know how much I can do."

To Azula's astonishment, Toph suddenly leaned down and took Katara's head in her hands, weaving her fingers into the brown hair. The earthbender then kissed her, full on the lips! - And Katara actually seemed to be reciprocating! The firebender's golden eyes widened.

Well. _This_ was an interesting development.

"It'll be fine, Sweetness," Toph said softly, her voice barely audible. "You're my talented master waterbender. You'll be equal to this, just like you've been equal to everything else." Katara murmured something that Azula couldn't hear, and Toph kissed her again, deeper this time. "You're just tired," the earthbender said. "Why don't you actually come to bed tonight, and get a decent night's sleep? I'm sure the circus freak will come get you if Mopey needs you."

Katara sighed and nodded. "All right." She rose from her chair. "I guess I'll have to wake one of them, then." Azula quickly closed her eyes as the waterbender turned toward the corner where the two Fire Nation women lay. She heard Ty Lee murmur. "Hey," came Katara's soft voice. "I think I'm going to go to bed now. But I want you to come and get me if Mai needs anything, all right?"

"Okay." Ty Lee's voice was thick with sleep, but Azula heard her get up. There were a few more murmurs, and then silence. The firebender dared to open her eyes again.

The healer and the earthbender had gone. Ty Lee had taken Katara's place by Mai's bed. As Azula watched, the acrobat laced her fingers in with Mai's, then leaned forward and rested her head against the assassin's shoulder. After a few minutes, movement ceased; Ty Lee had fallen asleep again.

Azula laid her head back against the arm of the chair. She had a lot to think about.


	9. Intelligence

Azula was very quiet the next day. She spent most of her time in the house, helping with chores or with watching Mai; her thoughtful eyes rested often on the waterbender.

"Ty Lee." The acrobat looked up.

The two of them were alone in the sickroom. Toph still hadn't returned from wherever she had gone that morning – something about finishing an Earth Rumble arena – and Katara had gone to gather more of the herbs that she was continually feeding to Mai. The assassin was asleep again, having only wakened once or twice that day. Her condition hadn't improved, but it wasn't any worse yet, either.

Ty Lee looked at Azula for a moment, searchingly. "What is it, 'Zula?"

The firebender was sprawled over the chair in the corner again, her legs propped over one arm of it and her head resting against the other. She looked at the acrobat lazily. "You've talked with Katara a lot more than I have. What's she like?"

Now Ty Lee turned fully to the former princess, her brow furrowing. There was a pause before she answered. "Well…I don't really know, I guess. I mean, she seems nice. She's been awfully good to Mai, and I think it's pretty good of her and Toph to let us take over a room of their house while Mai's getting better." She stopped. "Why?"

The former princess shrugged casually, stretching and yawning like a cat before draping her arms comfortably over her middle again. "Well, as you said, the healer's been very helpful to us. I want to know more about her. I want to know what makes her tick." Azula examined her fingernails. Although she could no longer keep them as polished and sharp as they used to be, she still made sure they were as clean and smooth as she could manage. "She's very compassionate," she noted.

"Oh, yes." The acrobat smiled and nodded, her suspicion fading. "And she's very forgiving, too! I think she's a good person." Ty Lee glanced back down at the sleeping Mai. "Did you know that she was engaged to Aang last year? But then Toph came, and Katara decided she didn't love him as much as her, so they had to break it off." She sighed dramatically. "Isn't that tragic? – And romantic?"

"Very." Azula's eyes narrowed slightly, and a slight smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "That's interesting. They were actually engaged, and she broke it off? They weren't just dating?"

"No, no – they were engaged. Katara told me Aang had given her a betrothal necklace, and everything!" Ty Lee clasped her hands underneath her chin, her gray eyes starry. "I've always loved the idea of betrothal necklaces! I think I should marry a Water Tribe boy, they seem so romantic."

"Not to mention misogynistic," Azula noted dryly. The acrobat looked at her blankly, and the firebender waved it off. "Never mind, it's not important." She let her head fall back, gazing up at the ceiling. "The waterbender seems like she's a pretty sympathetic person, too. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, she does! She told me yesterday that she thinks it's awful that people are always tracking us. She said it would be better if everyone would leave us alone." Ty Lee's face sobered, and she absently rubbed Mai's arm. "I wish more people thought that, 'Zula. I'd like to stop running for a while."

"Maybe we can someday." Azula turned her head to look lazily at her friend again. "Just how forgiving do you think Katara is?"

"Forgiving?" The acrobat looked surprised. "Well, she did take us in, Azula. And she's friends with Zuko still, even though he turned on her back in Ba Sing Se. You remember!"

The former princess nodded, her golden gaze fixing itself back on the ceiling. "I do," she said. The slight smile was back on her face. "It's good to be forgiving, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Ty Lee sighed, a shadow crossing her face. "I just wish we could do something to pay her and Toph back for everything they're doing for us."

Azula smirked. "Maybe we can," she murmured.


	10. Fits and Starts

Katara was kneeling in the kitchen over a basin full of water, meticulously washing the leaves and roots she had gathered that afternoon. She'd set the basket full of her gleanings on her left, and laid out the washed herbs on a plank on her right, ready for drying. Azula lurked in the doorway for a while, watching her through half-lidded amber eyes. After a moment, she cleared her throat, alerting the healer to her presence. "Looks like you had good luck," she said casually, pushing away from the doorframe and advancing a few steps into the room.

"Yes. I did." The waterbender eyed her for a moment before resuming her work. "I've got enough to keep treating Mai for another week or so, I think. After that, there might be problems. I'll have to send a messenger hawk for more supplies."

Azula nodded gravely, clasping her hands together behind her back. "You've really done a lot for her, Katara. I appreciate that. Thank you."

Again, the healer stopped what she was doing to look at her, dark brows lowering suspiciously over her blue eyes. The firebender responded with a wide-eyed, innocent smile. After a pause, Katara turned away. "You're welcome," was all she said. It was clear that she considered the conversation over.

Carelessly, Azula moved closer, slipping around to stand before the counters in front of Katara. After a moment's pause, she knelt down in the proper Fire Nation fashion, in a motion worn smooth by years of practice. The healer pointedly ignored her. This didn't concern Azula in the least. "I wish there were something we could do to repay you," she said softly. "After all, you've spent so much time and energy on this already! It must be costing you."

"It is," Katara allowed. "But I know you three don't have any way of paying me. Don't worry about it."

"No, no. That wouldn't be right." Azula's amber eyes were wide and earnest. "We're in your debt, Katara! If there's anything we can do for you - anything at all! – please let me know, and we'll do it."

The graceful waterbender actually sat back on her heels, her medicines forgotten, and fixed her full attention on the other woman. Her sapphire eyes were narrowed into mere slits. "What do you want, Azula?" she demanded suddenly. "Why all this kissing up all of the sudden?"

Azula pouted a little. "I don't 'want' anything," she grumbled. "Mai would have died if you hadn't agreed to help us. She and Ty Lee are all I've got! Is it so strange that I'm grateful to you?" She stopped then, biting her lip and looking away. "Never mind, Katara. I guess I don't blame you for not trusting me. I've never given you any reason to." She got up and started to leave.

"Wait." The firebender paused in the doorway, looking back inquiringly. Katara's face had softened. There was even a hint of remorse; Azula hid a smile. "I'm sorry, Azula. You've been decent while you've been here, and you've even shown a lot of self-restraint. There was no reason for me to snap at you just for saying thank you."

Quietly, the former princess inclined her head. "Apology accepted," she said, and made to go. Then she paused, as if remembering something, and turned a small smile to the waterbender. "Oh -! And my offer still stands, Katara. If there's anything I can do to repay you for all that you've done, please tell me." The waterbender nodded stiffly, and Azula left.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mai could feel herself returning to consciousness. It wasn't overly pleasant; she could feel the muscles in her face twitching, and there were painful spasms in her back and shoulders. Her teeth were pressed together hard enough that it hurt. She groaned a little as her eyes opened.

She was lying on her back on her bed, her arms resting by her sides. Her body felt strange. _Something's about to happen…something bad. _She could see the slumped form of Ty Lee beside her; the acrobat's head had fallen over her shoulder in sleep. Mai grimaced, trying to say her friend's name, but all that came out was a pained grunt.

It was enough. The contortionist's body twitched. Ty Lee opened her gray eyes and lifted her head, blinking sleepily. Her gaze caught the invalid's. "Mai!" she exclaimed softly, leaning forward and cupping the assassin's cheek in her hand. "You're awake." Mai tried again to speak – her jaw refused to budge, and the muscles of her throat would not obey her. She could only groan a little. "Are…are you all right, Mai?" Ty Lee whispered, her eyes growing huge in the darkness.

_Ah -! _Mai's face suddenly spasmed, her jaw clenching tight, her lips pulling back from her teeth in a grimace. She uttered an inarticulate cry of pain as the muscles along her spine followed suit, cramping hard enough to lift her back right off the bed. _Agni, it hurts, it hurts! _She tried to struggle against it, but the spasms only grew worse. Her head jerked backward as her neck seized up! Another, sharper cry tore itself from her.

Somewhere in the room, Mai could hear Ty Lee's frantic voice, but could make out no words. Then there were strong hands on her twitching body, keeping her from throwing herself off the bed. "Mai." That was Azula's voice, as steady and clear as ever. "If you can hear me, just don't panic, all right? Ty Lee's gone to get Katara. You're going to be okay." Mai's body jerked harder, bending itself backward until she screamed out in pain; terror flooded her. _Oh gods, gods – Agni, make it stop, make it stop!_

And then, suddenly, she fell back against the bed, gasping with sobs. She couldn't move. Her body still seemed to be beyond her own control, but at least the agonizing convulsions had stopped. She closed her eyes. Mai heard Ty Lee gasp, and then Azula's sharp voice. "What are you doing to her?"

"I'm bending the water in Mai's body to stop her from hurting herself." Katara's voice was shaky, but her words were firm. "Ty Lee, do you know the medicines I've been using on her for the past few days? – Good. Bring them here. Bring all of them. I'll tell you what to do. Hurry." The assassin heard Ty Lee scurry from the room. "Azula, if you could reassure her a little. I'd do it myself, but I can't let go of her. Sometimes people with tetanus can break their own bones just with the spasms."

Mai opened her eyes again as the former princess leaned over her. There was uncertainty and discomfort in her face; Mai felt a rush of amusement, in spite of herself. This sort of thing fell way out of Azula's comfort zone! To her faint surprise, the firebender lowered her head to whisper into Mai's ear. "I don't want that waterbender to hear this," she murmured. "And don't you tell anyone else, either! But you're my friend, Mai. You're my friend, and I don't want to lose you." Had the assassin been able to move, her mouth would have fallen open. "Don't you dare die. Don't you dare, do you hear me?" There was a pause before Azula lifted her head again. The assassin could have sworn that there were tears in the young woman's golden eyes.

Just then, Ty Lee returned, juggling three small bottles and a handful of herbs in leather packets. "That's good," Katara said, her voice much less unsteady than it had been. "Now, Ty Lee, I want you to take that cup on the nightstand. Put three drops from the smallest bottle in it." There was a pause as the acrobat obeyed. "Good. Now eight from the biggest, please." Step by step, the healer walked Ty Lee through the process of mixing the dose. "Perfect!" she said at last. "Now add enough water to make about a mouthful. Azula, I need you to support her while I sit her up. Hold her so that she doesn't fall, in case her muscles twitch a bit."

It was strange to feel Azula's arms around her. The former princess had never been very fond of hugs, and neither had Mai. The assassin felt more secure in the embrace, but she wasn't exactly sure whether she liked it or not. She was rather inclined to the latter.

At Katara's instruction, Ty Lee held the cup to Mai's lips and poured the dose down her throat. The assassin gulped, choking a little as bitterness filled her mouth. Then she was laid back down. Ty Lee tucked the blankets around her again, whispering soft reassurances as she did so.

Finally, Mai heard Katara's voice again. "Mai, listen. I'm going to release you. If you start to convulse again, I promise that I'll stop it. All right? You'll be fine." The invalid closed her eyes, bracing herself. "I'm letting go – now."

Mai's body went limp. She uttered a small, involuntary gasp, then flinched; no painful spasms followed. Her muscles felt weak and flaccid. "Good." Katara's voice was full of relief. "The relaxant's doing its work!" A moment later, the healer's brown face leaned over hers, and Mai felt her hand rest against her cheek. "Are you all right, Mai?"

To her intense relief, the assassin found that her body was her own again. "Yes," she whispered. "I…think so."

"Did you hurt yourself at all?" The healer was already running her hands over Mai's limbs, searching for injuries. "Any bruises, cuts, scrapes -?"

"No," Mai murmured. "Azula didn't let me fall." The memory of how the princess had braced her made her smile a little. Then she yawned - a profound sleepiness was washing over her.

Katara saw it. "The sedative is kicking in, I think." She smiled gently. "Go ahead and sleep now, Mai. I promise I'll watch your dosages more closely so this won't happen again. Okay?" The assassin barely had time to murmur in agreement before her eyes closed. She slipped deeper and deeper into the darkness; the last thing she knew was the gentle pressure of fingers wrapping around hers.


	11. Tongue Fu

It was still dark when Azula got up from her seat by Mai's bed. The sun would be rising in about a half-hour, she judged, glancing out the window. Carefully, she took her cloak from its place and slung it over her shoulders. _Better to have it, in case I run into anybody on the way. _She glanced back at the chair in the corner. Ty Lee's body was slung bonelessly over it; her breathing was deep and even. Azula let a small smile play over her lips. Then, impulsively, she leaned over Mai. "You'll be safe," she whispered. "I'll see to it." The invalid didn't twitch. Silently, the firebender slipped from the house.

She was pretty sure of her directions; she'd listened in on enough conversations between Toph and Katara for that. What she was going to do when she got there, she wasn't so sure of. Azula had a few contingency plans, of course – she never went _anywhere_ without at least one – but she was hampered in this case by her lack of knowledge. Her lips tightening in annoyance at the thought. She _hated_ uncertainty.

Silently, slipping into the shadows at the edge of the wood that bordered the village, the firebender pulled her hood up to shield her face. She was nervous, as little as she liked to admit it. This wasn't the kind of thing that she would normally do! Azula clenched her jaw and kept going. _You have to do this. Do you want to land the fish? Then you need the right bait._

There it was. She stopped, still hidden in the shadows. There, at the top of the small hill she had been climbing, was a little wooden house. Azula paused, looking around, then drew her hood down again. Her heartbeat quickened a bit. _Okay. I'll hopefully come out of this as a peacemaker, instead of a peacemaking martyr… _She took a moment to compose herself. Then, calmly, she stepped away from the woods and approached the broken-down hut.

Before she came within twenty yards of the place, a fierce yapping issued from within, and an energetic bundle of black and brown fluff came bounding out! Azula stopped walking immediately and stood in silence as the raccoon-dog bounced around her ankles, barking and growling. A woman appeared in the doorway. "What is it, Fai?" She stopped as she laid eyes on the firebender.

Azula was in luck – it was the Earth Kingdom girl, Hova, rather than the firebender. She preferred to have a witness to what she was about to do, just in case. She also wanted her there in case her calculations hadn't been correct. "Good morning," she said, her voice quiet. "Is Kailas here? I need to talk to her."

"Kailas?" Hova's face was a mask of uncertainty and fear. "She's…"

"What's going on? Who's here?" The Fire Nation woman appeared. Her half-closed eyes rested on Azula.

The exile saw hostility twist the woman's features. Quickly, just as she had rehearsed it in her mind, Azula dropped to her knees, holding out her wrists in the Fire Nation position of surrender. Her pride stung, but she gritted her teeth and pushed it back. _Remember the prize, _she told herself. _It's worth this. It's worth it! _"Kailas." She kept the pitch of her voice low, but spoke clearly. "I know you won't want to, but I need to talk to you."

"Oh, is that so, Princess?" The firebender pushed past Hova, her fists clenching. "And why should I talk to _you?"_

"Because it's about Katara and Toph." Azula didn't move, even while noticing that the other woman's expression was very threatening. "I've come to ask you to forgive them."

"Excuse me?" Kailas stopped, surprised out of her advance. Although her eyes were mostly hidden by an uneven fringe of dark hair, Azula could see them widen. There was a pause. Still the exile didn't move, schooling her body into stillness, her eyes monitoring Kailas closely. The older woman's lips finally moved again. "_What _did you say?"

_All right. Violence averted, for the moment. _Azula looked up at her earnestly. "I want you to forgive Katara and Toph," she said again. "I'm the one you're angry at. It's not right that they should suffer for it." She took a deep breath. _I hope that I'm right about this. _"I'm the one you want," Azula said, letting her hands drop to her sides. "You want me? Here I am, Kailas. You don't need to take it out on anyone else."

There was a gleam of vengeance in the other woman's eyes, now. Azula still didn't move as Kailas resumed her advance, stopping about three feet in front of her. As the exile watched, the woman's arms came up in a firebending stance, her feet shifting. Azula recognized the position; it preceded the diagonal kick; the one that would flash downward in a slashing motion; the same one she herself had used so many years before to sear the chest of a young Kailas. She couldn't help wincing. It took all of her self-control not to raise her arms defensively. "There's no one here to protect you." Kailas's voice was low and cold. "How does it feel, Azula?"

_The fool. She thinks I'd need protection from her? Like she'd even get near me if I didn't allow it! _The exile kept her expression sober as she raised her eyes to the other woman's. Without a word, she spread out her hands, palms outward, in a gesture of surrender. _She won't have the guts to strike me if I refuse to fight back. They never do. But if she does, I'll take the hit. _Azula's lips tightened a fraction. She was willing to suffer a little pain in order to move this forward, if she had to.

Of course, she hoped that she wouldn't have to.

The standoff was tense. Kailas was visibly shaking in fury, her fists clenching and unclenching as she glared down at the former Fire Princess. Azula's trained eye caught hints of weakening; she pounced on them. "If you're going to hit me," she said softly, letting some of her tension bleed into her voice, "then please get it over with." She kept her eyes wide and innocent.

"Shut up!" The other woman's voice broke, and her trembling grew more pronounced. "You deserve it. You deserve to _die."_

"Maybe I do." Azula saw fresh shock freeze Kailas's elfin features. _That's right. Get her off-balance…now push her a little this way, a little that… _"Go ahead, Kailas. I won't fight back. Take it out of me."

"Shut. Up."The shaking woman spoke through gritted teeth. There were tears running down her grimy cheeks, now.

_She's teetering now. We're almost there! Use the momentum against her, then hit her with the sucker punch. _"No. Really. I mean it.' Earnest golden eyes gazed upward, as hands still held up in submission. "You deserve this, after what I did to you. Go ahead – burn me. Mark me, the way I marked you." As she spoke, Azula deliberately turned her head slightly, fully displaying the scar that marked the side of her face.

Kailas recoiled as if she had been struck. Her fists dropped. _And down she goes. _Azula smirked inwardly. Gasping, the woman turned away, her hair falling forward to shield her face. "No. I can't. I'd be…I'd…" Her breath came in ragged bursts. "I'd be no better than _you." _Her tone was bitter. "Just…go. Get off our property. Go!"

Soberly, Azula rose to her feet. She looked, not at Kailas, but at Hova, who was watching the scene wide-eyed, the raccoon-dog hugged to her breast. "I hope you can both forgive them," she said softly, by way of a parting shot. Then she retreated, slipping back into the shadows of the forest.

Only then did Azula finally allow herself to smile.


	12. A Clear Field

The drugs weren't working very well anymore.

Katara had been keeping Mai sedated for over a week. Mai didn't mind this at all; waking was uncomfortable at best and excruciating at worst, and she had no desire to stay conscious any longer than necessary at this point. But the high doses required to knock her out, and the regularity of them to keep her that way, had taken their toll. What had once guaranteed her six or seven hours of uninterrupted sleep now gave her little more than three, and Katara was reluctant to increase the amount of the dosages. So Mai had been doomed to consciousness for five or six hours a day, as well as a couple during the night. And now she was beginning to suspect that the muscle relaxants weren't working so well anymore, either.

She jerked and hissed as her neck spasmed. Katara's dark face appeared over hers. "Your muscles are seizing already?" She slipped her hand underneath Mai's neck, feeling it spasm against her palm. She looked grim. "I just gave you a dose two hours ago. This isn't good."

"So sorry," the assassin muttered through her teeth. Her illness was not improving her disposition. "I'll try to be more accommodating."

A fleeting smile passed over Katara's face. She turned to the small army of bottles and packets arrayed out on the bedside table, and sighed. "Well, I'll mix you another dose," she said, "but after that I think I'll have to try something else." Her lips were pursed anxiously as she began to pour various herbs and tinctures into a cup. "I don't quite know what I'll try you on…most of the strongest relaxants aren't working very well anymore, and I'm not sure that the milder ones will do the job."

"Great. Nice to know I've got so much to look forward to." Mai grimaced as she felt the muscles of her back begin to cramp. "Please, hurry!" she blurted, a sudden note of panic in her voice. She was in no rush to relive the agonizing seizures of a few days before.

"You'll be all right, Mai." Katara's voice was soothing. The cup of bitter herbs was held to the invalid's mouth. The assassin gulped them desperately, heedless of their foul taste. They seemed to have been taken in time; the spasms grew weaker, and finally stopped a few minutes later. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Better?" Mai nodded. "Good." The Water Tribe woman rose. "You should be okay for a while, then. Why don't you try to sleep? I'm going to go start the soup for supper." She glanced over at the corner of the room. "Ty Lee's here. If you need anything, just call me. Okay?"

"All right." Mai shot her a rueful look. "Thank you." Katara smiled; then she was gone. The assassin sighed and turned her face to the wall, trying to sleep.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_Ah, the gods are smiling on me. _Azula was in a singularly good mood. She grinned to herself as she sat by the door of the house, watching the tall earthbender fastening straps on her rucksack.

Toph was going away. She was traveling to Dazu to compete in an Earth Rumble tournament, and also to organize an event to be held later in the year in Taonan. She wasn't going to be gone long – less than ten days, probably. Azula thought it would be long enough. Her smile grew. She was, however, careful not to let her breathing or heart rate spike. Toph always noticed these things. "I've never seen an Earth Rumble tournament," she said out loud. "It sounds rather interesting."

The blind earthbender paused in her work, turning her ear toward Azula's voice. "I like it," was all she said.

"Pity you can't take Katara with you," Azula said sympathetically. "I wish that we weren't such an imposition on the two of you."

"Not your fault, I suppose. Mai didn't exactly choose to get stabbed in the gut just outside Taonan." Toph went back to her packing.

_Damn it. She didn't take the right bait. _Azula had to squelch a wave of irritation. _That bloody earthbender! She's harder to lead than Mai. _The firebender thought quickly. "Isn't it rather lonely, competing by yourself?" she asked innocently.

Toph shrugged. "Not really. I did that by myself for seven years." She paused as Azula cursed inwardly. "It would have been nice to bring Katara, though."

_There it is. That's the opening I want. _The exile examined her nails absently. "Yes, that's very true," she said. "It's always good to have people you care about to support you." She cast the earthbender a sidelong glance, gauging her mood and choosing her words accordingly. "So how long have you two been together? I'd heard rumors that the Avatar wanted to marry Katara."

"About a year." Toph's brows lowered in suspicion. "Why?"

"Just curious. I suppose it doesn't really surprise me to find you with a woman – you seem like the type. But I confess that Katara surprised me. The last time I saw her, I was quite convinced that she was in love with the Av – with Aang." Azula continued to keep her heart rate under tight control.

The earthbender frowned. "They were engaged," she said curtly. "Katara broke it off, though. She loved me first."

"Really?" Azula let some surprise and disbelief into her voice. "And that doesn't concern you at all, Toph?"

"What do you mean by that?" Toph turned on her, dark brows lowered over clouded green eyes that were beginning to flash.

"Oh, nothing," the former princess said meekly. "I'm sure you know your business much better than I do, after all. You're Lady Bei Fong, the Blind Bandit, and I've fallen pretty low in the world. But I'd be quite," she paused as if searching for the right word, "_leery_ of a relationship with someone who would just up and break something so lasting as an _engagement." _She shrugged. "It's probably nothing. Ty Lee always tells me I'm far too suspicious of people. I'm learning to be more trusting, of course, but…" She let her voice trail off into a sigh.

Toph said nothing. She jerked the two remaining straps of her rucksack tight. Rising to her feet, she slung it over her shoulder. Although the firebender watched her closely, she couldn't tell whether her words had taken root or not. "I'll see you later, Azula," she said curtly. "Tell Katara the same when you see her, all right? Tell her I'll be back in nine or ten days."

"Of course, Toph." Azula smiled. That smile grew as she watched the earthbender stride off toward the city gates of Taonan. _With Toph out of the way, I can work much more quickly. _She stood up and stretched leisurely. _I wonder when Katara will get back from Kailas and Hova's? _And she sauntered back into the house.


	13. Fishing Trip

The stage was set. Azula smiled to herself as she stirred the pot that hung over the coals. She couldn't have set it better if she had tried! _Katara's coming back from Kailas and Hova's, which means they will have told her about my asking them to forgive her. Toph's gone, so I have a clear field. And tomorrow night is the full moon! _Her eyes glowed in triumph. If her researches were correct, this was the ideal time to move forward with the rest of her plans. _She'll be at her most powerful – and her most vulnerable – for the next few nights. If she swallows the bait, I'll have my hook in, and I can just reel her in. _She heard footsteps coming in the door. _Showtime._

Katara paused on the threshold, her eyes widening as they fell on Azula. The firebender stopped what she was doing. "I hope you don't mind," she said meekly. "I thought I'd fix something for supper, since you were gone and Ty Lee was busy with Mai."

"N…no-o-o," the healer said slowly. She looked rather stunned. "I don't mind." Azula flashed her a quick smile, and turned back to her stirring. _Any minute, now, she's going to ask. Let her bring it up. _The firebender smiled to herself. "Azula, did…did you go to Kailas and ask her to forgive me?"

The exile let her head fall forward a little, then turned it to look at Katara out of the side of her eyes. "Yes," she admitted.

"Why did you do that?" The waterbender moved closer and stood watching, looking rather perplexed.

"I didn't think it was right that she should be angry at you because of me," Azula said simply. "Besides, after everything that you and Toph have done for us, it's the least I could do. If you hadn't helped us, Mai would have died." She turned back to the soup pot. _Did you catch that, Katara?_

"Where _is_ Toph, anyway?"

_Yes. There it is. _The former princess looked at her innocently. "Toph? I think that she already left for Dazu. Why?"

"Oh." The waterbender looked a little hurt. "She left without even saying goodbye?"

Azula smiled reassuringly. She could be very reassuring when she wanted to be. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it, Katara. It probably just slipped her mind," she said kindly. "Besides, she's not going to be gone very long, is she? She'll be walking in the door again before you know it." Katara bit her lip. The firebender poked at the soup pot one more time. "I think dinner's ready," she said sweetly. "Why don't you sit down and eat, Katara? I'll bring a bowl to Mai." Azula set a full bowl on the table as the healer sat down. She caught a flash of gratitude, and smiled as she ladled out a second bowl for Mai. _She's swallowed the hook. All I have to do now is reel her in. _The firebender headed for the sickroom on her errand of mercy.

After supper, Azula slipped out of the house and headed down to the shore. The sun was setting by now. The moon was already visible, not quite full yet, shining palely overhead. Calmly, Azula found herself a rock and perched herself on it. She had only to wait; her prey would come to her. She reached up and pulled out her topknot, slipping the tie into her pocket. Humming absently, she ran her fingers through her hair. It was quite soft and clean – nothing like the tangled mess it had often been while she and her companions had been sleeping under the stars. _I could get used to this, _she mused idly, still combing her dark locks with her fingers. _If I can land my fish tonight, maybe I can._

She waited there patiently for about an hour. The sun set all the way; the sky grew dark, and the stars shone brightly. The beach shone silver in the moonlight. Azula leaned back on her arms, crossing her legs at the knees. _Any minute now. _And then she heard footsteps on the path that led down from the house! She smiled to herself as she heard them stop abruptly, knowing that she had been seen. Casually, she turned her head, knowing exactly who it was.

Katara was gazing at her uncertainly, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. Azula smiled her welcome. "Beautiful night," she said lightly. "Almost makes me wish I was a waterbender." She laughed.

The dark-skinned girl raised a hand to rub at the back of her neck. "I didn't know anyone else was down here," she said awkwardly. "I…was going to waterbend a little. You know – full moon, and all."

"Go ahead. I won't disturb you." Azula's smile didn't waver. "I've always wanted to watch someone waterbending during a full moon. Isn't this when waterbenders are at their peak?" Katara nodded hesitantly. There was a pause; then the Water Tribe woman seemed to make up her mind. She shrugged off the loose garment she was wearing over her shoulders, revealing a sleeveless shirt that came down just below her chest, and a pair of loose white trousers that were fastened at the waist with a dark-colored sash. Without another word, she turned toward the slate-black ocean and raised her arms.

Azula watched with genuine fascination as the water responded to the bender's whims. Mighty waves leaped up; delicate ribbons of liquid silver danced around Katara's body, twisting and weaving into intricate patterns until they looked like steel mesh; walls of water swirled into gigantic globes; and through it all, the dark-skinned woman's body moved with it. She was really as graceful and deadly as Mai, now that Azula thought about it – maybe more so. There was certainly far more raw power at her disposal than had ever been at the assassin's. The firebender smirked. _A big fish, indeed._

At last, breathless, Katara let her arms fall. The column of water she had been raising fell back into the sea with a resounding roar, and the waves from it rushed inland, washing up around her knees. Azula pulled her feet up on the rock to avoid getting wet. Then, as the water receded, she hopped off her perch and made her way over to stand beside the waterbender. "That was pretty amazing," she said, her voice soft so as not to break the mood.

"You think so?" Katara looked at her in surprise, and Azula studied her face. There was a flush across her dark cheeks, and her eyes almost glowed in the light of the moon. The exile nodded and smiled a bit, and the Water Tribe woman chuckled. "I wouldn't have thought you'd be impressed by anything but firebending."

Azula shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe I've learned a few things since I left the Fire Nation," she said simply.

The waterbender looked at her in silence for a while. "You've really changed a lot," she said finally. "I didn't think that was possible."

A smile curved Azula's lips. She turned aside, waving her hand in the direction of the rock she had been sitting on before. "Let's sit. We can talk for a while, Katara. We haven't really done that yet." There was no hesitation; the waterbender went unsuspectingly. The two girls perched themselves on the stone. Azula carefully positioned herself so that her arm was close to Katara's – close enough that she could feel the warmth of the other woman's skin. "The moon's gorgeous tonight, isn't it?" she murmured.

"Yeah." There was a dreamy smile on Katara's face. Azula smirked. _If the old stories are right, the effect of that moon on her should be something like strong wine. _After a moment, the waterbender turned to look at her. "So tell me what you've been doing since you left the Fire Nation. Just running?"

"More or less." Azula nodded gravely. "We tried a city or two, but they found us a lot easier in cities. Too dangerous. Ty Lee almost got skewered when we went to Omashu; she was trying to knock me out of the way of a javelin, and it caught her instead. Fortunately it was just a flesh wound." She looked out at the ocean. "At least in the middle of nowhere, we have a chance to hide."

"That's true." The healer smiled sympathetically. "I bet you miss home."

Azula frowned slightly. "I suppose so," she said at length. "I don't know. Maybe it's better that I'm not there. It wasn't…good." She rested her hands in her lap and sighed deeply. "My biggest regret is that Mai and Ty Lee got dragged down with me," she said sadly. "Mai in particular, I think. She could have been the empress of the Fire Nation." Katara's arm slipped around her then, comfortingly. The firebender felt a rush of triumph. _That's it. Reel her in, just a little bit more. _She looked at the healer mournfully. "You know what I really do miss?" she murmured. "I know it's petty in light of everything else, but…I miss being beautiful." She brushed her fingers lightly over the scar that covered the left side of her face. "I'm hideous now."

As she had hoped, Katara melted. "Azula, that's not true!" she cried softly. "You're not hideous."

"It's kind of you to say so," the firebender said, smiling sadly.

"No." The Water Tribe woman frowned. "You _are_ beautiful, Azula! You are. I wouldn't just say that!" She stopped then, her eyes fixed on Azula's face. The firebender's heart was in her throat. _Come on, Katara. Come on…I'm not going to do it, you have to make the first move. _Slowly, one brown hand came up to touch the scar, the fingertips running gently over the uneven surface of the skin. Azula sighed a little, letting her breath wash over Katara's fingers as they reached her jaw. "You _are_ beautiful," the waterbender said again. There was a different note in her voice, now.

Slowly, her eyes open and full of sincerity, Azula smiled. "So are you," she whispered. She licked her lips carefully, with just the tip of her tongue. _Come on, Katara…just a little further…you know you want to…_

And then, with a suddenness that actually surprised Azula, Katara leaned forward, capturing her lips with her own. Her amber eyes flew open a little; then she relaxed, leaning into it. She'd never had any particular preference for women, despite what some people thought, but she had to admit that this wasn't unpleasant. The waterbender's skin was soft, and her hand on Azula's arm was gentle. She kissed Katara back, carefully. _Easy, Azula. Let her lead. You want her to think this was her idea._ The healer's other hand lifted up and wove itself into the hair at the nape of her neck as the kiss deepened. Azula let her do as she wished, murmuring a little.

If she was perfectly honest with herself (which she rarely was), Azula hadn't really expected it to go much farther than this – at least, not tonight. After all, she herself wasn't making any moves, and she hadn't thought that the waterbender would take it any farther than a kiss. She was pleasantly surprised to find the woman so willing. _Huh. Everything they say about the waterbenders' moon madness must be true! _And the plan played out perfectly. In the end it was Katara's hand that first slipped under Azula's tunic to slide against bare skin, and it was Katara who finally took her by the hand and led her back to the house.


	14. The Morning After

Azula woke with the sun, as usual. She felt warmth against her back, and a limp arm was draped over her middle. A smile curved her lips as the warm glow of victory filled her. _I have her now. I've got her, even if she never falls like this again! _-But it wouldn't do to have her wake like this. Katara had to be given space to process things. The former princess carefully slid out from under her arm. The waterbender murmured a little, but didn't wake; Azula dressed quickly and slipped from the room into the kitchen. She felt like celebrating her conquest with a cup of tea.

As she sipped contentedly, someone appeared in the doorway. The exile looked up to find Ty Lee standing there. The acrobat was frowning, her arms folded across her chest, her fingers drumming against her elbows. "Azula, we need to talk," she said.

"Oh?" The former princess raised a brow mildly.

"Yeah. We need to talk. Outside." Ty Lee stepped forward. Her gray eyes were stormy, and her face was screwed into a scowl. "Let's go." Azula narrowed her eyes, but the acrobat was not dissuaded. "I'll take you down and drag you out there myself if I have to!" she said. "You can fire all the lightning you want at me later, but we're going to talk. Come on."

It was very rare, even now, that either of Azula's two companions would dare to take this tone with her – and then it was usually Mai. The former princess considered her for a moment or two longer. "Very well," she said evenly. "I certainly hope that whatever you've got in mind is worth this sort of risk to you."

Ty Lee smiled grimly. "Oh, it is, believe me."

With great dignity, Azula set down her half-empty teacup and moved from the room. When they reached the courtyard, she turned to face the acrobat, folding her arms and raising her brows expectantly. Ty Lee still looked furious. "What are you _doing?" _she demanded, dropping her voice. "Mai's still way too sick for us to leave, and she probably will be for months. We need to stay here – and you go and _sleep with Katara?"_

Azula wasn't exactly taken aback, but she was a little annoyed that Ty Lee had figured everything out so quickly. "That's hardly your business, Ty Lee," she said. "Besides, she came on to me. You can ask her yourself."

"What difference does that make?" The contortionist waved the words away. "You slept with her. She's with Toph. You know that!" There were tears struggling in her eyes. "What if they turned us out? We can't take care of Mai. She'd die. She'd _die, _Azula!" Her lip was quivering.

"They're not going to turn us out." Azula eyed her, then smiled a bit, laying a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder. The acrobat winced, turning her gaze aside. "Ty, do you really think that I would knowingly jeopardize what we've got here? Do you really think I'd put Mai in danger?"

"Not on purpose," Ty Lee faltered.

"Well, then." Azula slid her fingers under the acrobat's chin and lifted until their eyes met again. Ty Lee's lips were still quivering. "I know what I'm doing, Ty," she said gently. "Trust me."

The anger had faded from the acrobat's face. She never could stay angry. The pain, however, was still evident. "Azula," she whispered. Her voice broke. "Azula, don't you know why this would hurt _me?"_

Despite herself, the former princess winced. She let Ty Lee go and turned away quickly to hide it. _Damn it. I had hoped she wouldn't go here. _"We've talked about this before," she said quietly. "I've been quite clear about it, Ty Lee. It's nothing personal – I'm just not into that kind of thing."

"Oh, no. But you'll sleep with _her." _A little sob broke from the acrobat's throat. "You'll kiss _her!"_

"That's different!" Azula frowned.

"Different how? Tell me, Azula." Ty Lee was defiant again. "How is it different?"

The firebender's lips pressed together– as little as she liked it, she actually did care about Ty Lee, and she didn't like hurting her. After a brief struggle, she sighed and turned back. It looked like the truth was the only way to deal with this. "Listen, Ty Lee," she said patiently. "I want to stop running. I want to settle somewhere and have something like a life again. Don't you want that?" The acrobat nodded, still frowning. "Well, that's what I'm playing for. I want the three of us to be able to stay here. If we're going to do that, we need other people on board to help defend us against our enemies. And if that's going to happen, I need to have leverage. I've got Katara, now. She'll _have _to help us, see? That's all this is about."

"So it's just a blackmail thing." Ty Lee still didn't look happy, but there was a glimmer of relief in her face.

"Yes. I promise." Azula laid her hands on the acrobat's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I know what I'm doing, Ty. Trust me."

The acrobat bit her lips, searching her face. After a while, she turned away. "Okay, 'Zula." Her voice was quiet. "Just…please, be careful."

"Naturally." Azula knew from her tone that she had won. She patted Ty Lee's arm kindly. "How's Mai?"

"Not good." The girl bit her lips again. "She hardly slept at all last night. Katara says the drugs aren't working anymore. I think she's really suffering."

Now Azula felt another qualm of conscience. She'd left Mai to Ty Lee all night. Looking more closely at the acrobat, she saw how drawn her face was, and how dark the skin under her eyes looked. She slipped her fingers into the other woman's and squeezed gently. "You're tired," she said. "You probably had a long night. Why don't you go eat and get some rest? I'll watch Mai." Ty Lee nodded gratefully, and they headed back into the house.

The assassin turned half-shut eyes on Azula as she sat down beside the cot. She had always been pale and slim, but Azula thought her skin looked almost translucent now. She felt another pang, this time of worry. "Hey," she said softly. "How are you feeling, Mai?"

"Like I've been trampled by an ostrich-horse." The invalid managed a small, wry smile. "But I've been worse, I guess."

"Really? When?" Azula was curious.

"Never. Just trying to be cheerful or something." Mai chuckled darkly at her own joke. "How are you two doing?" she asked. "Has anybody found us yet?"

Azula made a face. "Not for a few days. I did get attacked once, but I fought them off. Don't worry about that. Like I told you before, Mai, your job right now is to get well again. I don't want you wasting your energy worrying."

Mai scowled. "Can't help it," she muttered. "I've been your bodyguard for the better part of a decade. Can't ask me to just suddenly forget that there's people trying to kill my princess." She reached out a trembling hand to grip Azula's arm. "Sorry. Just making sure that you're really here…"

"I'm here." The former princess clasped the white hand firmly in her own. "Ty Lee tells me you can't sleep much anymore."

"No." Mai shifted fretfully. "That dose the waterbender's giving me hardly works at all, now. I don't think I slept once last night." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't complain. I know she's doing everything she can." The firebender absently brushed a few strands of black hair from the invalid's heated brow. "Azula?" The former princess looked at her inquiringly. There was uncertainty in Mai's narrow eyes. "I don't want to seize up like I did before," she whispered. "I'm not a coward. I'm not! But…it really hurt."

"It won't happen again." Azula scowled, as if she could drive away her friend's fear by sheer willpower. "You'll see, Mai. It'll be okay."

Just then, movement caught her eye. Azula looked up to see Katara standing in the doorway. The waterbender looked at her uncertainly, flushed scarlet, and turned wordlessly to go into the kitchen. The former princess thought quickly. "Do you need more painkillers or anything, Mai?" she asked out loud.

"If you would." The assassin's eyes were tight shut, and her jaw was clenched. Azula patted her arm and rose to follow Katara.

Ty Lee was sitting at the table, finishing a bowl of porridge. Katara had her back to the door as Azula entered; she was hanging the kettle over the flames to make a fresh pot of tea. The former princess smirked and slipped in beside her, purposely brushing her arm with her own. "Allow me," she murmured, and put her hands around the belly of the pot. In a moment, steam was hissing off the surface of the bubbling water.

Katara glanced at her; a faint redness tinged her cheeks. "Thank you," she said quietly, and turned away to get the tea leaves.

Azula could feel Ty Lee's eyes on her. She sighed and straightened her back, rubbing her temple tiredly. _OKAY, Ty. I'm BEHAVING. _"Mai's in a lot of pain this morning," she said. "Ty Lee says she didn't really sleep last night, either."

"Oh." Katara glanced at her, biting her lip. "Guess I'll have to give her a dose of those Fire Nation chilies…I only have a few of those left." She pointedly turned away again, and moved to the corner where she kept her medicinal herbs. A faint frown crossed the firebender's face. Foiled for the moment, she went back to her place by Mai's bedside and waited. Katara appeared soon after, and gave Mai a mouthful of something. The assassin mercifully fell asleep soon afterward.

Azula turned to face the waterbender, brow creasing in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked in a low voice. "What's wrong, Katara?"

The healer's face flushed again. She still didn't meet Azula's gaze. "I…don't know," she faltered. "I'm just not sure what I think yet, okay? We…we're going to need to talk about things." She bit her lower lip.

"If you need to, of course." The firebender stroked the woman's shoulder gently, once. "Just let me know when you're ready, Katara." The healer flinched; Azula let a little hurt seep into her voice. "Did…did I do something wrong?"

"No." Katara flashed her a quick smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, Azula. It was all me. It's just that I'm with…I mean, I didn't…" She stopped. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay." The firebender pushed her lower lip out slightly, turning away. _Oh, we'll talk about it, all right. _She glanced down at Mai; the invalid was sound asleep, the fingers of one hand curled on her pillow. Silently, Azula curled her hand around it. She heard Katara leave, but she didn't look up.


	15. The Art of Correspondence

Someone was shaking her gently by the shoulder and saying her name. Mai groaned and squeezed her eyes shut stubbornly. She didn't want to wake up -! "Mai," the voice said softly, "it's Katara. I'm sorry to wake you, but I need to ask you something." The assassin opened her eyes and glowered in the direction of the voice. Katara gave an apologetic smile. "Forgive me," she said. "It's just that I'm running out of options to treat you with. Azula mentioned that you have some connections. Do you think some of them might help you out?"

Mai could have laughed. "I'm sure my 'connections' have forgotten that I exist," she said.

"Surely not all of them have." The waterbender smiled a bit. "Zuko, for example…"

"No." The assassin's narrow eyes snapped to Katara's. "He would help, but I don't want to put him in that position. Please, leave him out of it."

"All right." The healer nodded her understanding. "Well, how about your parents? Your father's still the governor of one of the Fire Nation colonies here in the Earth Kingdom, isn't he?"

The assassin uttered a burst of bitter laughter. "Katara, as far as my parents are concerned, I never existed." The waterbender looked a bit shocked, and Mai shot her a wry smile. "I'm a blot on the family name. If I died, they'd probably celebrate. Then they could get on with pretending that Tom-Tom was an only child." Her bitter smile grew a touch. "You should have seen them sucking up to me when I was in line to be the royal consort, though."

Katara's face fell. "Oh, Mai, I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"Don't be. There's no point." The invalid looked away.

"So there's no one in your family who might help us?" the healer asked, after a moment's silence. "I guess I could try to use my own contacts. Maybe if I write Iroh a letter, he might give us some money, or medicine…I don't know, though. Ty Lee told me you three aren't exactly popular with the White Lotus."

Mai turned her head to look at Katara again. "Lobsang," she said quietly. "My cousin, Lobsang. He lives in Omashu. We used to get along pretty well. Maybe he'd do something."

"Lobsang?" Katara repeated. "All right, I'll write him. Does he have a title?"

"Everyone in my family has a title." Mai smirked, waving her finger delicately as if conducting an orchestra. "Lord Lobsang Bai Jiang, Ambassador of the Fire Nation, brother to Lady Ling Tsang, the wife of Governor Tsang, formerly of New Ozai, now of New Ursa, et cetera, et cetera." The healer gave her a blank look, and the assassin sighed. "Maybe I should dictate it for you. He probably wouldn't even look at a letter that wasn't properly addressed and written."

"All right. Let me go get what I need." Katara vanished accordingly.

Mai lay still, turning her eyes to the blue sky outside the window. She hadn't thought about her family in a long time. Really, her parents hadn't felt like much of a loss to her; they'd never been close. She had felt a pang or two about her little brother, but she'd only known him for a few months back in New Ozai, and he'd only been two years old at the time. She and her cousin had gotten along well as children, mostly because Lobsang mostly liked to read and not talk. That had been a long time ago. _I'm really grasping at straws, here, _she admitted to herself. _He'll probably take the same view of me that my mother does._ Mai sighed, feeling a faint twitching in the muscles of her neck.

Katara soon returned. She set down her writing tools, and was soon ready, her calligraphy brush in hand. Mai quietly dictated, running down lists of titles as effortlessly as breathing. _Strange that I still remember these things, _she mused. _They're all but useless to me now. _She paused. "You can sign off in your own words," she said, flicking her fingers dismissively. "If he's read that far, he'll have read the important part." The twitching in her neck had spread down the length of her spine, and was becoming painful again. She could feel her jaw beginning to clench. "It's hurting, Katara…"

Leaving the letter for the moment, the healer got up and felt the hardening muscles. "Okay. I'm out of those chilies, but I'll try you on the redflower and cramp bark mixture. Hopefully those will do the trick." She paused to rest her hand on Mai's forehead. "The fever's not too bad. That's a good sign. Maybe you're starting to fight this thing off."

"Can't be soon enough for me." The assassin watched as Katara skillfully mixed up the new dose. "I can take as much pain as the next shuriken-jitsu expert, but I'm getting really tired of staring at these walls. – No offense."

"None taken. I don't blame you at all." The healer glanced at her, hesitating. "Maybe you should add a personal postscript to the letter before I give you this, Mai. Do you think he'd know your handwriting?"

"He might. Or he might check with someone who knew me." Mai accepted the brush. She was at a bit of an awkward angle to the page, but her fingers still remembered their old skill; her handwriting was neat and precise.

"_I am sorry to have bothered you with this, Lobsang. Rest assured that I would not have done so if I could think of another option. I hope I am not presuming on our former amity. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and for any aid you may be moved to offer me."_

She paused. She had been about to sign the letter the way she always had, _Lady Mai Tsang. _Mai bit her lip slightly. _I'm not a lady anymore. _She mentally erased the title – her eye drifted down to her own hand. _I've been disowned. I probably don't have any claim to the name of Tsang, now. _She breathed deeply. Her fingers moved the brush.

"_In Hope,_

_Your Cousin,_

_Mai"_


	16. A Mistake Corrected

Azula was sprawled over the chair in the corner of the sickroom, her head resting in its usual place, her arms over her middle. Her brow was creasing in thought. If there was one thing that the firebender hated, it was missing something important – and she had the disquieting feeling that she had done just that. When she had begun to formulate her plan to gain leverage over Katara, she had taken many things into consideration. She'd thought of everything, from moon cycles to motivators to sympathy grabs. Every step had been calculated, and every calculation thus far had been proved right – except for one. She had missed that one thing.

Well, no. She hadn't _missed _it. She had _dismissed _it, cast it aside as if it were unimportant. But now, she was beginning to wonder if it didn't carry more weight than she had thought. Her amber eyes narrowed and moved to rest on Ty Lee, who was once more in her place by Mai's bed. The two were holding a murmured conversation that Azula couldn't quite catch. _Ty Lee. _Azula's lips pursed as she remembered the heartbroken look on the girl's face that morning. She had _known _that Ty Lee had feelings for her, but she had set it aside in order to pursue the goal – a goal that all three of them should have wanted. Azula scowled. _Damn it, Ty Lee. Can't you be more practical? _She thought that their bond of loyalty ought to be strong enough to weather this, but she thought she shouldn't test that theory. She didn't want to test it, if truth be told.

Azula scowled. This was worrisome, in more ways than one. She, Azula, had omitted something important from her calculations – the human factor. It reminded her unsettlingly of that fateful day at the Boiling Rock. She remembered standing there on the landing, glaring at Mai, demanding to know why she had betrayed her. Mai's voice had been as cold and sharp as the knives she wielded. "I guess you don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated." Really, there had been something almost beautiful in the skill with which she spoke – cutting Azula efficiently to pieces, inflicting maximum pain with a minimum of words. Even as the princess had fumed, she had felt a grudging awe. And then, as now, Azula had both forgotten the human factor and underestimated her friends. It had cost all of them dearly.

So there it was. She had hurt Ty Lee. She had dismissed the young woman's feelings as if they had no importance. She'd twisted a dagger in the acrobat's heart, twisted it brutally. She'd kicked her own friend in the teeth. She'd wrung tears from the eyes of the girl who had stuck by her, even after everything she had –

_OKAY! Okay. Retract the damn claws! Gods. _Azula rubbed her forehead in weary annoyance. She sometimes wished that she could have her conscience removed. With a sigh, she swung her legs down to the floor and got up. _Fine. Guess I'd better deal with this now, before I lose my nerve._

Ty Lee looked up as Azula stood over her. The former princess glanced at Mai, who returned her gaze with half-lidded eyes. "Do you mind if I steal Ty Lee for a few minutes?" she asked quietly. "We need to talk."

"Sure. Go have your girl time." A weak smirk flitted over Mai's lips.

The acrobat frowned a little, but didn't comment. She touched Mai's arm. "Are you sure? You won't need me for anything?"

"Not in the next fifteen minutes." The assassin gave the ghost of a shrug. "I'll just try to sleep while you're gone. Maybe it'll work this time." Ty Lee gave Mai's wrist a gentle squeeze before followed Azula from the room.

The moon was full. Azula glanced at it, briefly thinking of Katara, before banishing the thought and slipping over to the cliff that overlooked the sea. She beckoned to Ty Lee as she sat down. "C'mon, Ty. I need to talk to you." The gymnast moved closer and knelt a few feet from where the firebender sat. Azula shook her head. "No – not over there. Come _here." _Warily, Ty Lee crept forward until their knees almost touched.

There was a pause. Azula studied her friend closely, noting the wide gray eyes, the slight pucker of the brow, and the faint quiver of the full lips. _Mm-hmm – she's still hurting. _She sighed and hesitated, unsure of how to broach this subject. "Ty Lee," she said softly, "I should have…thought more." She stopped. The acrobat looked puzzled. _Ugh! That didn't come out right. _"I mean – about Katara, and all that. I shouldn't have just assumed you'd be all right with everything. You know."

"Okay." The girl looked down. The longer spikes of brown hair that hung around her face shielded her eyes. She said nothing more.

_You're going to make me work for this, aren't you. _Azula was both impatient and annoyed, mostly because her conscience was still torturing her. She hated having to humble herself. "I didn't…mean…to hurt you," she said. "I was focused on the goal, and I forgot to take you into account." Ty Lee nodded slightly, once. "I didn't_ want_ to hurt you." Still no response. The firebender could feel tears of frustration burning her eyes. "Damn it, Ty Lee!" she exploded. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." The acrobat looked up again. She was biting her lips, and her enormous eyes were wet again. _Oh, great, now she's crying. _The lump in Azula's own throat was becoming a problem. "I don't _know,_ 'Zula…"

"Don't." Azula shot out a hand to grab Ty Lee's wrist. The acrobat's eyes widened. "Just don't. Stop crying." Ty Lee sobbed in response, turning away to hide her tears. _Spirits, what a fiasco this is! _The firebender rose to her knees. "Stop crying. Ty Lee…Ty, please don't cry."

"I can't help it," the acrobat sobbed out, jerking her arm from Azula's grip. "I can't help it! You…you…sometimes you make me hate you, Azula!" She hid her tear-streaked face in her hands. Her shoulders shook.

Something was broken, here. Something was broken, and Azula had no idea what she had to do in order to fix it! She felt dampness on her own cheeks. _What the hell am I crying for? _"Ty Lee," she pleaded. (She – once Crown Princess of the Fire Nation – pleading!) "Please listen, Ty. I didn't mean to hurt you! I just wanted…I mean, I was trying to…Ty, listen, I'm…" Her voice caught in her throat, and she had to force her mouth to release the words. "I'm sorry." Her teeth gritted.

The acrobat's soft sobs abruptly ceased. Ty Lee raised her head – the wetness on her cheeks was shiny in the moonlight. "Are you, 'Zula?" she whispered. "Are you, really?"

"Of course I am," Azula snapped, retreating abruptly from vulnerability and back into her accustomed sharpness. "Would I say that to you if I wasn't? You know me better than that!" Then, seeing renewed hurt in the acrobat's eyes, she groaned in defeat. "Ty…come here. Just – come here." She grasped Ty Lee by the arm and pulled her into a hug, cradling the gymnast's head against her chest with one arm. She could feel the other woman clinging to her, fingers tangling themselves in her tunic like a child's.

They stayed that way for a long time. Azula was surprised at how…well, at how little she was disliking it. Normally she hated hugs, and she certainly never handed them out. This time was different. It was like when the acrobat had hugged her in that hut where Toph had imprisoned them, only better. It felt warm. It felt safe. It was comforting. It felt – _good. _She let her head drop a little, resting her cheek against the top of her friend's head. The acrobat adjusted herself a bit, but didn't let go. "Ty Lee?" Azula's voice was quiet. She heard the gymnast make a small sound. "Thanks. You know, for not leaving."

Ty Lee laughed softly. The sound warmed the firebender's heart. "I'll never leave you, Azula."


	17. Denial

It was now to the point of serious discomfort. Mai's eyes were closed as she concentrated on her breathing, trying to meditate to keep the pain at bay. The sedative wasn't working at all anymore, and the best the muscle relaxants could do was prevent the most serious spasms. Even as she concentrated, she could feel her body twitching. A ripple of pain shot down her back; she jerked, and her breath hissed through her teeth.

"Is it hurting again, Mai?" Ty Lee's hand felt like ice against her cheek. She shivered as her eyes drifted open. The acrobat looked tired and worried; she stroked Mai's forehead. "Your fever's high again, isn't it?"

"Guess so," Mai muttered. Her whole body ached; another series of spasms ran down the length of her spine, wringing a gasp from her lips. She screwed her eyes shut again. "I wish this would just kill me, already!"

Ty Lee's fingers stopped their caressing. "Don't talk like that." Her voice quivered. "You're going to get strong again. 'Zula and I will help you through this."

"I'm tired." Mai's fingers clutched at handfuls of her blanket to brace against another wave of pain. "I'm just so tired, Ty Lee." She looked up at her friend with gritted teeth. "I don't want to cry. I hate crying."

"You can, though. You know that." The acrobat smiled a bit, tenderly. "I promise I won't think any less of you."

"'S'hardly the point," Mai growled, despite the fact that she couldn't quite decide what the point _was. _"You know I don't…well, I just don't." Her face twisted. "…_Owwww!" _Her fingers curled into a fist, which then thumped a few times against the mattress.

The low cry brought Katara from the next room. She slipped in beside Ty Lee and bent over her patient. "You can't be this bad already, you just took something for it an hour ago." She tested the temperature of Mai's cheek with the back of her hand and sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" she murmured.

"Take me out back and put me out of my misery?" The assassin's faint smile twisted into a grimace almost instantly. "Or, you know, drug me. Please."

"I wish I could." Katara glanced at the ever-shrinking collection of medicines on the bedside table and bit her lips. "Can you bear it for another hour, Mai? I wouldn't ask, but…well, if you start getting resistant to these, I don't have anything left to try."

Mai's narrow eyes moved to Ty Lee. Her white fingers grasped the acrobat's and gripped so tightly that the girl winced. "I'll try," was all she said.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Azula was angry. She was pacing back and forth through the sickroom, her teeth clenched, her hands clasped tightly behind her. Her brows drew lower over her flashing golden eyes with every soft groan that issued from the bed.

Mai was getting worse. That much was obvious. There she was, lying there – one of the two people in the entire world that Azula gave a damn about. More to the point – one of the two people on the world that gave a damn about Azula!_ She's suffering. She's suffering, she's dying, and I can't do one single fucking thing about it! _A tiny burst of blue flame shot inadvertently from Azula's nose. She glanced hurriedly at the bed, but neither Ty Lee nor Katara had noticed her slip; their attention was focused on the invalid. The firebender went back to her brooding.

She had failed. She, Azula, had failed. She'd failed to keep Mai from getting hurt, she'd failed to keep her from getting sick, and now she was failing again – she couldn't do anything to help. That everything - all their struggles, all the times they'd faced down incredible odds and lived, even triumphed – should end like _this! _It wasn't fair. It wasn't _fair! _Azula ground her teeth. _Mai is a noblewoman, a warrior, and she should die like one. She was one of the greatest soldiers in the Fire Nation! She shouldn't have to meet her end crying and writhing on a cot in a shack in some godforsaken little Earth Kingdom village. It's not right. _Azula stopped walking abruptly as she heard a sharp cry from the bed. "Can't you _do_ something?" she snapped.

Katara shot her an exasperated look. "I'm doing what I can, all right?"

The firebender scowled, her fists clenching. "She's in pain. You're _letting _her hurt! What kind of healer are you, anyway?" she snarled.

Ty Lee rose from her seat, patted Katara reassuringly on the back, and moved to take Azula's arm. "Come on, 'Zula," she said quietly. "Let's take a walk." The seething firebender resisted for a moment, then grudgingly allowed herself to be pulled outside. Ty Lee led her to the cliffs, down the path that opened to the beach below, and then along the deserted shoreline. There was a cool breeze coming off the water that lessened the burning of the afternoon sun. Azula felt some of the edge coming off her anger.

When they were well out of sight of the house, Ty Lee stopped and turned toward her. "What's up?" she asked. "You're upset about something."

The former princess shot her a disgusted glare. "Now what would I be upset about?" she growled. "Think a minute, Ty Lee."

"I know better than that, 'Zula. You're not just worried about Mai. There's something else going on, too." The acrobat shook her finger at her. "Your aura's all crazy. You've got these red flares coming off you everywhere! So what's going on? What are you so angry about? Talk to me."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, come on. You'll feel a lot better." Ty Lee smiled. "Listen, I'll even start off for you, if you want. 'Ty Lee, I'm mad because –'" She stopped, her head on one side, waiting expectantly.

Arms folded over her chest, Azula glared out at the ocean. She didn't answer directly. "I should have controlled myself," she muttered. "If I hadn't lost my temper and attacked Zuko…" She stopped, her lip curling in bitterness. "If I hadn't dragged you two down with me, you'd still be in the Fire Nation. We'd still be in the palace. Mai would still be alive and well…"

"Mai's not dead yet," Ty Lee pointed out softly.

"I was the prodigy," Azula went on, as if the gymnast hadn't even spoken. "I was the princess, the strong one. I'm supposed to be able to solve the problems and fix whatever's wrong. And I can't!" Her frustration boiled over. With a roar of wrath, she fired a ragged burst of flame out over the water! It sailed out, pale blue in the center of the blast, fading out to a faint violet at the end. "I can't," she said again, through her teeth. _I failed._

Ty Lee bit her lip. "That's not your fault," she said. "Mai was poisoned. It wasn't you that hurt her, 'Zula! And no, you can't fix it. But that's okay, you know? Neither can I." She touched Azula's arm. "Sometimes you just have to accept things."

Azula snarled and jerked herself away from Ty Lee's touch. "I won't," she snapped. "Acceptance is weakness. Weakness is failure! I will not be a failure!" She blasted another fireball over the sea, then spun on her heel and headed back for the house, not waiting to hear the gymnast's response.


	18. The Message

"Katara! Katara!" Ty Lee's frightened voice woke Azula from a troubled sleep. Her head jerked up from its place on the padded arm of the chair as she blinked, bewildered. She'd been trying to catch a few hours' rest that morning, having gotten very little the night before. The acrobat burst into the room as the waterbender rose to her feet, catching Katara's arm in both her hands. "Katara, there's men coming," Ty Lee whispered frantically. "They're on mongoose dragons…they're wearing armor…Katara, they're _Fire Nation!" _

Instantly, Azula was wide awake. She sprang to her feet; adrenaline shot through her. "They're coming _here, _Ty Lee?" she asked sharply, before Katara could open her mouth. The acrobat nodded, wringing her hands. She looked close to tears. Azula set her teeth. "Then I'll go meet them," she said grimly, her hands clenching into fists.

"Azula." The healer held up a hand. "Why don't we both go out? It's possible that they aren't here for you. Let's not start anything if we don't have to." Azula's eyes narrowed, but she jerked her head in acceptance. The two women headed for the door, with Ty Lee timidly following.

Sure enough, there were mongoose dragons approaching – four of them, followed by three people in Fire Nation clothing. Three of the riders were men, evidently soldiers, in full dress armor; one was smaller, a boy apparently, dressed in a simply-cut crimson robe with gold trim. Katara motioned for Azula to stay where she was, and stepped forward to meet them. The small procession stopped; one of the men rode forward until Azula could see his face. He had the pale skin and jet-black hair of a Fire Nation noble, and looked about twenty-five years old. "Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?" he said gravely, looking down at the waterbender.

"I'm Katara." The healer drew herself up. "And who might you be, sir?"

He smiled. With athletic ease, he swung himself out of the saddle and bowed in Katara's direction. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Lobsang Bai Jiang of New Ursa."

_Mai's cousin. Of course. _Azula set her feet, her eyes narrowed. _He'd better have come in peace._ "I got your letter, Lady Katara. My cousin, Mai…is she..?"

"She's here. She's still alive." Mingled relief and concern flooded the waterbender's face. "She's…she's in a lot of pain, though…"

"Of course." Lobsang turned and gestured curtly. The three people on foot quickly stepped forward, filling Katara's arms with bottles and packages. "I had every healer in New Ursa give me whatever they thought would help," he said. "If you need more, I'll send for it, Lady Katara. Where is she?"

"Inside," Katara said softly. "Thank you so much!" She paused. "If you don't mind, Lord Lobsang, I'd like to treat her before you go in. She's in pain right now."

He nodded, his face creasing with concern. "By all means. Go." The waterbender turned and hurried into the house. Then his eye fell on Azula. The former princess met his gaze coolly, without shifting her feet from their defensive position. She wasn't about to let her guard down. By the look on his face, she could see that she had been recognized. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Forgive me, Azula," he said finally. "I'm just not sure how I should address you now, your former highness."

Her eyes narrowed. _Is he mocking me? _Before she could speak, Ty Lee bounced from behind her and jumped at him, throwing her arms around him in a crushing bear hug. "Lobsang!" she squeaked. "I know we only met once and that was back when I was nine years old and you probably don't even remember, but I'm so glad you're here. Mai's going to be so happy to see you! It's so good of you to bring her medicine! Did you have a safe trip?"

As Ty Lee prattled on, Azula noticed that the boy had dismounted and was approaching. He was about ten years old, tall for his age, and walked with courtly grace. He had a clean profile with a long, straight nose. His narrow golden eyes looked familiar, for some reason. The former princess frowned, wondering where on earth she could have seen the solemn young man before.

Lobsang succeeded in extricating himself from Ty Lee's embrace with an effort. "Yes – thank you," he said, still smiling good-naturedly. "Of course I remember you, Ty Lee. Who could forget?" The boy stopped at his elbow, and caught Lobsang's attention. The Fire Nation noble stepped back. "Ty Lee, may I present young Lord Tomeo Tsang?"

Azula's mouth fell open. Ty Lee, of course, squealed with glee. "_Tom-Tom!" _she cried, stooping down and hugging him hard. "We haven't seen you since you were in diapers. Look at how tall you've gotten! Did you come to see Mai? Oh, she's going to be so excited!"

The boy seemed to share his sister's dislike of being touched. He awkwardly but politely pulled himself out of the clinch. "Miss Ty Lee," he said courteously, bowing. His golden eyes turned to the former princess, and he bowed again. "Miss Azula." The woman stiffly returned the bow. It had been so long since she'd even seen Fire Nation nobility that she wasn't even sure she remembered how to act!

Lobsang turned to his men. "Go and find someplace to leave our mounts," he instructed, "and get us rooms at the inn here. Lord Tsang and I will join you there this evening."

As the men rode toward the center of town, Katara appeared in the doorway again. "Lord Lobsang? I think you can see her now."

"Excellent. Thank you." The man smiled and rested his hand on Tom-Tom's shoulder. "Are you ready, young man?" The boy nodded. His face was calm, revealing little; Azula almost laughed. _He's like a little-boy-Mai! _"Then let's go give your older sister the good news!" Lobsang said, and followed Katara into the house. _Good news? _Azula's interest was piqued. She slipped in after them.

Mai still looked exhausted, but she was actually smiling as her cousin approached the bed. "Lobsang," she murmured. "Thank you so much."

The man stooped down to hug her gently. "Mai!" he said, smiling back. "You're prettier than ever."

"Lies don't become you." Her brow arched.

He laughed. "Still the same old Mai!" he said affectionately. He turned and beckoned to the boy, who was hanging back in the doorway. "I've brought someone to see you, Lady Tsang. He's got some good news for you." Tom-Tom moved forward and stood at Lobsang's elbow, looking at his sister in silence.

From where she stood, Azula could see Mai's eyes widen in the sudden shock of recognition. She lay very still for a moment. "Tom-Tom?" she whispered at last.

The boy bowed. "Sister Mai." There was another silence as the long-parted siblings gazed at each other. "I have a message for you from the Fire Lord," Tom-Tom said finally, his words calm and clear. _Probably rehearsed_. "He's revoked your banishment, and the banishment of Lady Ty Lee. If you will come to his court, he will pardon both of you, on the condition that you swear fealty to him."

The stillness was so deep, one could have heard a pin drop. Azula felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. She watched Mai's face speechlessly. The assassin was searching the boy's face, her face blank with shock. "What?" she managed.

Lobsang nodded. "We've been looking for you for a year already," he explained. "Fire Lord Zuko issued the order last summer." He smiled quietly. "You can go home, Mai."

There was a lot of talk and excitement after that, but Azula heard little of it. She was reeling with shock. Slowly, silently, she slipped from the house and started walking, with no particular destination in mind. Her feet carried her down to the beach. She started walking faster. Then she jogged; then she _sprinted, _her feet slipping in the soft sand, ragged breaths tearing at her throat. She ran until she ran out of beach, and there was only a tiny cave at the edge of the water. Then she threw herself down against the cliff face, clutching at her sides and sobbing for breath. There was a terrible pain in her chest. She wasn't sure what it was. _Oh, gods. Oh, gods… _Shuddering, Azula huddled against the cold stone and tried to forget.


	19. The Cave

They would probably be worried about her by now. She knew that, but she couldn't really bring herself to care.

Azula sat in the little cave in silence, her bare feet dabbling in the water. There were tiny little rainbow-colored fish swarming around in the shallows; they tickled her toes whenever they wriggled too near. She watched them without much interest.

When she had finally caught her breath again, she had cried – just a few deep, wrenching sobs that had shaken her entire body. Then she had fallen silent, simply leaning against the cliff and listening to the rhythmic crashing of the waves. She had probably huddled there for a couple of hours. Then it had finally occurred to her that she was alone and in a rather exposed position on the beach. Even though she'd found it difficult to care about safety anymore, she had mustered the strength to slip inside the small, sandy cavern, which would at least shield her from casually-prying eyes.

_So what now? _Azula raised dull eyes to glance at the sun, which was now just touching the edge of the sea. _Head out, find a place to camp somewhere, just keep moving?_ Somehow, the thought of being captured and killed didn't seem to hold much horror for her anymore. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. _Maybe there's nothing left. If that's the case, I should just board a ship and head for the Fire Nation. Then I'd at least be executed by my own people, in my own country._ She bit her lip. _Or maybe I should commit jigai. That's the warrior's death…_

_No. No, damn it! _She shook herself. _It isn't like me to think like this. I can't just give up! _Her eyes smarted. Azula blinked fiercely, refusing the weakness of tears, and glared out at the reddening sky. Footsteps approached, and a slim figure crouched just outside the mouth of the cave. The exile glanced at it briefly, but said nothing. _Of course. Who else would know where to find me? _She went back to her scrutiny of the horizon.

"Hey." Ty Lee slipped inside quietly and sat down beside her. There was silence for a while; the waves lapped against the shore. "We were getting worried about you," the acrobat said at last. "It's not really safe for you to be out here alone, Azula." The former princess didn't move. "Mai thought you might do something stupid, so she told me to come find you. I wasn't sure you'd want to be found…" The young woman's voice trailed off. Still Azula said nothing. She heard Ty Lee sigh, and then a slender hand began to rub gently against her back. "Azula, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Her voice sounded hollow in her own ears. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Come on, 'Zula. I might not be as smart as you, but I'm not _stupid." _Ty Lee smiled. "You left right after you heard that Mai and I are pardoned. You think we're going to leave you here alone. Right?"

Azula flinched – she couldn't help it. "Well, why wouldn't you?" she muttered, scowling darkly. "Courtly life, servants feeding you grapes, flavored ice on the palace veranda on a summer evening – versus running for your life through the godforsaken Earth Kingdom? There's no comparison."

The gymnast nodded gravely. "Yeah. That's one way to look at it, I suppose." She stopped rubbing Azula's back and slipped the arm around her instead, resting her head against her shoulder. "Or how about this? Abandoning one of my best friends in the world to probably get horribly killed, versus standing by her like I said I would. Is there a comparison there?"

"Don't be stupid," the firebender muttered, although the knot in her stomach suddenly felt looser. "This is a pardon, Ty."

"Yeah, I know." Ty Lee smiled. "Wasn't that sweet of Zuko? I'll have to send him a letter and thank him for the thought." She squeezed her friend a little. "I'm not leaving, 'Zula. The only way I'd go back is if he pardoned you, too."

Azula looked at her. "Really?" The acrobat nodded and smiled. The former princess hesitated. "What about Mai?"

Abruptly, Ty Lee let go and scooted around to face her. "Actually, I want to talk to you about that," she said. "Katara says Mai can't travel for a couple of weeks yet, so we've got time to think about it, but I think she should go. It'll take a long time for her to recover from this, and I think it'd be better if she could go somewhere she can rest properly. I think we should send her home." She paused. "Besides, we both know she misses Zuko, even if she never says much about it."

"True. The spirits only know why." Azula rolled her eyes.

"Oh, 'Zula. You're so unromantic!" Ty Lee pouted.

"Am not."

"Are so." The gymnast grinned, obviously pleased with herself for having gotten a rise out of her. "But that doesn't matter. Do you think we should send her home?"

The former princess hesitated, sucking on her lower lip. She thought back on their years of fighting and fleeing. She remembered how the three of them had played together on the palace grounds – always the three of them. It had been the three again when they had banded together to hunt down the Avatar. Then she thought of the Boiling Rock, and how Mai had turned on her to save Zuko's life. _She really did love him. Maybe she still does. _Azula sighed and rubbed her eyes. The image of Mai's crumpled body rose up in her memory – how she and Ty Lee had rushed to her, and how the sick realization had come that Mai was badly hurt. Lastly, she remembered her own thoughts of the day before. _Mai doesn't deserve to die in a shack in some godforsaken Earth Kingdom village… _

"Yes," Azula said quietly. "I think we should send her home."

"I thought so." Ty Lee glanced out at the darkening sky. "It's getting late, 'Zula. Are you going to spend the night out here, or are you going to come back to civilization with me?" She smiled a bit. "You have to be getting pretty hungry…"

Her stomach _was _pretty empty. Azula sighed and rolled her eyes. "All right, all right. I'm coming." She got up, brushed the sand off her trousers, and retrieved her boots from where she had tossed them a few hours before. The two girls headed back along the isolated shoreline to the path that led up the cliff face.

As they started to enter the house, Azula paused. "Ty?" The acrobat hesitated on the threshold, turning back, her gray eyes inquiring. The firebender stopped. A thousand things flashed through her mind. _Thank you for fighting alongside me. Thank you for taking my side, even when it cost you so much. Thank you for being the one to come and get me. Thank you for staying. _She took a breath. "Thanks." Ty Lee smiled. They slipped into the house together in the gathering gloom.


	20. Over Tea

For the first time in a very long while, Mai was actually happy.

Her health still wasn't good. The medicines that Lobsang had brought kept the pain and the spasms away, though, which made her waking hours much easier to bear. She was able to sleep again. And best of all was the prospect of going back to the Fire Nation.

When Azula and Ty Lee had first told her they wanted her to go, she'd felt rather hurt. As much as she wanted to go home, it had still felt like rejection. Ty Lee had explained their reasoning. "You're still sick, Mai," she'd said gently, stroking Mai's hand. "The Fire Nation is a way better place for you right now. It's safe; you'll have the time you need to rest and heal, without having to worry about being attacked. Besides," and her smile had grown, "it'll give you time to get to know Tom-Tom. Who better to show him around the capital than his big sister?"

This had taken some of the edge off. Mai had looked at Azula. "And you – do you think I should go, too?" she'd asked quietly. "I pledged my knives to you."

"And they've proven very useful." Azula had nodded primly. "But you're no good to anyone while you're sick." She had paused then, looking uncomfortable. "I am…concerned for your health. You need to go where you can be treated properly."

Ty Lee had rolled her eyes. "You _mean_," she'd said, "that you love Mai and you'll miss her, but she still needs to go home." Azula had shot her a frown, prompting the acrobat to smile broadly. "Well, I'm right, aren't I?" Mai smiled a bit at the memory, and glanced at the corner of the room. Both girls were sound asleep now – Azula draped over the ever-present chair, and Ty Lee curled up beside it, her brown head buried in a cushion. Her eyes misted.

_I'm really going to miss them._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"So, what made my brother change his mind?"

Lobsang looked up abruptly. From the look on his face, Azula thought that he hadn't seen her come into the kitchen. She allowed herself a small smirk, her eyes narrowing as she studied his expression. He set down the cup of tea that Katara had just served him and rose to his feet, bowing a little. This annoyed Azula – Lobsang was nearly a foot taller than her five-foot, two-inch frame, and his standing meant she had to look up at him. "Good morning, Azula," he said calmly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Passably." She frowned, irritated at having to repeat herself. Her voice was sharp. "What made my brother change his mind?"

He raised a brow. The gesture reminded Azula disquietingly of something Mai would do when she was insulted. "What made the Fire Lord offer pardons to Ladies Mai and Ty Lee, you mean?" he asked. The exile jerked her head in assent. "From what I understand, Fire Lord Zuko is trying to mend the rifts between the noble houses in the Fire Nation that are still there after the fall of your father. There were a number of high-profile pardons and commutations of sentences done about a year ago." He smiled just a bit – the inscrutable smile of a courtier. "I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

Azula scowled. She once again had the infuriating feeling that this man was making fun of her. "I've hardly had my finger on the pulse of Fire Nation politics," she snapped. "It isn't as though I've been left with any access to that kind of thing!"

"True enough, I suppose." He nodded gravely. "Running about the countryside, and all. - You seem rather upset about the whole thing, Azula. Does it bother you that Mai and Ty Lee get to return to what they were, while you don't?" The annoyance bubbling in Azula's heart suddenly became rage. She gritted her teeth and clenched both her fists in anger, glaring up at him. Lobsang didn't seem at all intimidated. "Be that as it may, that's why Fire Lord Zuko issued the pardons." With another courtly smile, he sat back down to his tea. "Incidentally, did you know that your brother has never wed?"

The former princess felt her breath hitch just a little. Her nostrils flared. She hadn't felt this strong of an urge to incinerate someone in a long time. "Really?" She managed a sugary smile. "Fascinating, Lord Lobsang. We'll have to sit down and talk politics sometime." She turned away. "Excuse me. I really should go and see how your cousins are doing," she said sweetly. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Azula." He sipped calmly as she retreated.


	21. Repercussions

Azula was sitting in the shade of a wild cherry tree with the hood of her cloak pulled up, deep in thought. She'd walked out to the woods by herself shortly after lunchtime, just to think. She had a lot to process.

Tom-Tom and Lobsang had come in the morning to visit with Mai, which had left Azula and Ty Lee with time for leisure. They'd gone down to the beach and had a long talk about what they were going to do once Mai had gone. Azula had immediately pointed out that they could still try to stay in Taonan. Ty Lee had nodded slowly, tracing random patterns in the sand with her finger. "We could," she'd said slowly. "But if we're going to do that, I think we should rethink our strategy a little."

"Oh?" The former princess had eyed her in puzzlement and faint annoyance. "What else did you have in mind?"

The acrobat had shrugged. "Well, I think we should just ask Katara and Toph if they'll help us," she said calmly. "I'd rather have them actually be our friends and help us than try to force them into doing it."

"Our _friends?" _Azula had stared at her in disbelief. "Have you gone insane? Katara helped my brother to take me down. And Toph…she's…well…Earth Kingdom!"

"So?" Ty Lee had shrugged one shoulder. "So were the Kyoshi warriors, and they were great girls. Suki was helping the Avatar, and she's really fun to hang out with. So was that cute Sokka. I think Toph and Katara are nice women, and that they'd help us if we just asked them nicely. Why make enemies if we don't have to?" The firebender's mouth had fallen open, and the acrobat had sighed and smiled. "We can always have your plan to fall back on, if it'll make you feel better."

"It has nothing to do with how I feel," Azula had snapped. "It has to do with what's sure to work, and what only might work, if our enemies are in the mood!"

The gymnast's smile had looked almost pitying. "You know, 'Zula, we're not in your father's court now. We don't have to play all these political games anymore."

Ty Lee had said all of it in a very calm and matter-of-fact way, as if it were all perfectly rational. The former princess just couldn't fathom it. Treat _Toph _and _Katara _as allies? How could she trust them? Why should she?

Frowning, Azula rubbed her forehead. _They did let us stay here. Katara is helping Mai, at great cost to herself, knowing we can't pay her back. _She sighed. _They might agree to it – who knows? It's true that it would be a lot less headache than the other way. And I can always use Katara's little secret against her later, if need be._ _So, fine. I'll let Ty Lee try to 'make friends,' just to shut her up._

With this decided to her satisfaction, the exile turned her mind to the other issue that was bothering her – what Lobsang had told her the day before. Her eyes narrowed at the memory. _The tall lord sat down, his white fingers reaching for his teacup. His keen golden gaze caught Azula's as a tiny smirk twitched his lips. "Incidentally," he said lightly, "did you know that your brother has never wed?"_

The implication was clear. Zuko had handed down a pardon to both Mai and Ty Lee, and called them back to the Fire Nation. If he was still unwed, perhaps Mai still had a chance at him. The former princess felt her jaw clenching. _Surely Zuko wouldn't be such a fool as to marry a traitor, pardoned or not! Surely he wouldn't…_ She shifted uneasily. _But then, he always was a fool that way. After all, he even let me back into the palace. Maybe he would take her back. _Azula's hands curled into fists. _If he does take Mai back…if he does marry her…I'll never see her again._

Azula stopped then, inhaling deeply. _Okay, just calm down. Maybe there's a way I can turn this to my advantage. If he marries her, I'll have a powerful ally in the Fire Nation court, right? Maybe I can talk to her privately before she leaves, and we can plan something out. Maybe she can convince him to commute my sentence, or something._ A slow smile spread over her face. _Yeah. If this works out, maybe I'll get to go home…_

She'd had no hope of going back to the Fire Nation since their plan of infiltrating the Earth Kingdom Resistance had failed. During their long years as refugees, she'd even grown resigned to that fact, as little as she'd liked it. But now a tiny spark of hope rose up in her. Maybe she would lay eyes again on the harbor where crowds had once gathered to welcome her home. Maybe she would once more walk the streets of the Fire Nation capital. Maybe she would even walk again in the gardens where she had played as a little girl! Her smile grew. _Yes. Yes, this could very well work to my advantage._

Her mood vastly improved, Azula rose to her feet and dusted herself off. _I'd better go see about talking to Mai, and maybe get Ty Lee working on Katara. _Humming cheerfully, she headed back toward the house.

There was a small knot of people outside the house as she approached. Azula glanced at them absently, already planning what she was going to say to Mai. Katara was there, along with Kailas and Hova. The exile frowned a little. _Great, more people I have to make nice with. _Then the fourth person abruptly turned toward her.

Azula's eyes widened in surprise, and her step faltered. _Toph? She's back already? _She'd barely had time to think this before the earthbender snarled and brought her foot down. Stones leaped up from the ground to cover Toph from head to toe – an instant later, a gigantic boulder was flying straight at Azula!

Caught completely off guard, the former princess sprang to the side to avoid it. The earth split under her feet! Azula staggered, but managed to leap again. Then it became a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, as the exile literally ran for her life with huge stones crashing around her. _What the hell? _Azula ducked, and a boulder whizzed overhead. _Toph must know…Katara must have gone and _told_ her. What in the world did she do that for?_ A ridge of stone flew at her like a wave. The exile leaped into the air; the earth moved as she landed, but again she managed to stay upright.

This was nothing like when those bounty hunters had attacked her. Then she could simply break the stones thrown at her – but this was no simple earthbender. Toph was a master, she was angry, and she was actively trying to kill her! Azula couldn't get enough time to set her feet and launch her own attack. _The problem is, _she thought desperately, narrowly avoiding being crushed between two columns of rock, _Toph can tell exactly where I am as long as I'm touching the ground. Damn it! _

She stumbled, looking back over her shoulder. Toph was crouched down, her fists clenched at her sides. As the exile watched in horror, the earthbender suddenly surged forward like a freight train, pounding her fists in Azula's direction. With each short punch, a melon-sized rock flew at her. There were too many – they were coming too fast! Azula ran and ducked and leaped, searching for some kind of cover. A stone flew at her head! The exile twisted aside, and the rock passed harmlessly behind her. While she was off balance, something connected with her shoulder, hard! Azula stumbled and fell flat on her face.

Gasping for breath, the former princess began to scramble to her feet. She was too slow; a ridge of stone shot out of the ground, plowing into her gut! Azula doubled over, falling to her knees. Her stomach heaved – she vomited bile and blood. She couldn't breathe. Panic flooded her as she struggled to draw air into her paralyzed lungs.

With sickening force, something struck her in the side! Azula fell and rolled as agony shot through her. She didn't have time to appreciate this; the ground beneath her lurched, and threw her upward. Once – twice – three times, she was bounced through the air like a rubber ball, her body smashing brutally against stone columns. At last, she hit the ground and lay limply, her cheek pressed into the dirt.

There was very little pain. _I must be in shock, _Azula thought groggily. Her lungs were twitching – tiny, lifegiving puffs of air were flowing down her throat. She was grateful for that. Then a shadow fell, and she saw the colossus that was Toph looming over her, blind eyes blazing in fury. Azula closed her eyes, shuddering uncontrollably, and waited for the coup de grace to fall.

It never did. Voices bled into the air as the world began to spin. Something touched her cheek, and she heard her name, but the other words just whirled around - just like the ground beneath her, just like her own mind. Everything was spinning, spinning into some sickening vortex. She wanted to cry out, but her body refused to obey her. Then sleep beckoned, warm and soothing and solid. With a soft gasp of relief, Azula gave herself up to the darkness. She knew no more.


	22. Aftermath

Someone was talking nearby. Someone was talking, and Azula was trying to sleep. The exile felt a faint annoyance as she slowly rose toward consciousness. She did _not_ want to be awake at the moment.

"…Excessive, don't you think? You could have asked a question or two first, is all I'm saying." That was Katara's voice. Azula thought she sounded upset. _I wonder what she's mad about? _The former princess felt very groggy. _Ugh…my head hurts. And my stomach…and…damn, what happened?_

"Hey, if Snoozles can reserve the right to kick ass on people who hurt you, so can I," came a woman's cool voice. "I think I have just as much right to that as he does!"

"Even if that were valid – which it _isn't, _by the way! – you did not 'kick ass.' You almost killed her. You _would_ have killed her, in fact, if I hadn't grabbed you, and Ty Lee hadn't thrown herself in front of you." Azula felt something cool and wet touch her left forearm, which was throbbing painfully. A tingling sensation spread through the limb, and the pain lessened considerably. She gave a small sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay. So I got carried away." The other voice sounded petulant. "What was I supposed to do, Katara? I waited for you. Then I fought for you last year, and I almost got killed. Was I just supposed to step aside and let that little tramp of a Fire Nation exile have the field, after all that?"

"Of course not." Katara sounded exasperated. "But you do have moods that fall somewhere in between 'complete surrender' and 'homicidal rage,' don't you? That's all I'm saying. You should have listened to what Kailas and I were trying to tell you instead of just suddenly beating her to a pulp."

"Yeah. Of course. So I'm the bad guy here, huh?" The words were bitter.

There was a sigh, and the gentle touch left Azula's arm. She heard Katara murmur. "No, Toph. Of course you aren't." There was silence.

"I want to talk about this." Toph's voice was flat.

"I know. And we will, just as soon as I'm done here, all right? I promise you." There was another sigh. "Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes." Heavy footsteps retreated.

Azula felt something being wrapped around her arm. It hurt; she winced and groaned softly. "Shh," came Katara's gentle voice. "You'll be all right. You'll feel better once it's been bandaged up properly, you'll see." The wrapping continued. With a sudden effort, the exile forced her eyes open.

She was lying on a bed, her head resting on a pillow. The room looked familiar, but Azula couldn't quite place it. Her whole body ached. _Did some vigilante attack me or something? _Katara was leaning over the bed, skillfully winding a bandage around the exile's forearm. Azula blinked at her, frowning. "What happened?" Her voice was meant to be sharp, but her ribs and belly protested the movement, and it came out as little more than a murmur.

The healer's gaze flew up to the former princess's face. "Azula. You're awake!" She quickly finished bandaging the limb, laid it down carefully, and peered down into the exile's face. "Do you know where you are?"

Grimacing, Azula looked around, and finally recognized Katara's bedroom. "Your house," she muttered. "Your room." She met the healer's gaze. "What happened?" she asked again.

"You don't remember?" The waterbender looked concerned. She held up a hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Azula swore. "Never mind fingers. _What happened?"_ Pain knifed through her as she raised her voice; she lay back with a sharp gasp.

"All right, all right. Just relax, Azula. You're hurt pretty bad." Katara quickly bended some water up under her hands and guided it down into Azula's midsection. The ache of her belly grew less. "Toph came home," the healer said quietly, as she worked. "She was a little upset over what happened while she was gone."

"Oh." The memory came flooding back. It wasn't pleasant. "Right, I remember now. Toph tried to kill me." The Water Tribe woman nodded, pressing her hands gently down on Azula's abdomen. It hurt – the exile growled in protest. "So I'm assuming you told her about our little tryst," she said, once she could speak again. "If you were trying to get Toph to murder me, you very nearly succeeded. Congratulations."

Katara winced. "That wasn't what happened at all," she said in a low voice, her eyes on her work. "I told her, yes. Toph always knows when I'm lying to her. Even if she didn't, I love Toph, and I wouldn't keep something like that from her. But I wasn't trying to make her hurt you, Azula."

"Then what _were_ you trying to accomplish, pray tell?" If Azula had been stronger, the question would have dripped with sweetness and malice. As it was, much of the intent still came through.

"I was trying to keep what happened from happening." The healer laughed a little, sheepishly. "Guess I didn't succeed very well, did I?" Azula scowled, and Katara sighed. "Kailas and I were calming her down. It was just bad luck that you showed up when you did, Azula. Your timing was impeccable."

"My father always said I was born lucky." Azula started to gingerly move her body, trying to find out what was injured and what wasn't. A twitch of her right leg sent fiery needles shooting up to her hip; she grimaced. "Is my leg broken?"

"Yes. Among other things." The waterbender laid her hand against Azula's forehead. "So I said that I wanted to talk to you about the other night. Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Sure. Why not?" Azula smiled acidly. "It isn't as though I've got pressing things to do."

"True." Katara nodded. There was a pause. "Azula, I know you're not a spontaneous kind of woman. That night was…well, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing for _me. _And I know that I was the one who initiated it. It was pretty much my fault. But why did _you_ allow it, Azula? That's what I want to know."

Was there any point in lying? The former princess wearily decided that there wasn't. "My friends and I have been starving and sleeping under the stars for a long time," she said quietly. "It's been good staying here. It's been _good." _She paused, looking at the healer. Katara nodded soberly; she seemed to understand. "I wanted to stay in Taonan," Azula said curtly, "so I needed some kind of leverage."

The waterbender's brows lifted. "Let me get this straight," she said. "You wanted Toph and I to let you stay in Taonan. So you seduced me to get me to cheat on my partner with you, because you thought that would make this _more_ likely to happen?"

Azula scowled. _She makes it sound like stupidity. _"Yes," she snapped. She hesitated. "I didn't know how else to get you to help."

Katara laughed in disbelief, straightening her back and rubbing her forehead. "Oh, Azula," she said, half-groaning. "You didn't know how else to…I can't believe this. Didn't it occur to you at all just to _ask_ me?"

"That's what Ty Lee said." The exile looked at the waterbender through half-closed eyes. "I guess there's no chance of it now."

"Don't ask me. Not now. Not yet." Katara shook her head soberly. She glanced out the door, then back at Azula. "I have to go talk to Toph about all this, and there's nothing more I can really do for you at the moment," she said quietly. "I'll let Ty Lee come take care of you while I'm gone, all right? She's been camped out in the hall since I brought you in here," she added with a chuckle. Azula nodded dully, and the waterbender left.

Not five seconds later, the wide, gray eyes of Ty Lee were hovering over her. The acrobat's face was tear-streaked. "'Zula?" she quavered. "Are you all right?"

The former princess cocked a brow at her. "More or less," she said. The gymnast gave a little sob. "Relax, Ty Lee. I'm not going to die."

"You could have." The acrobat rested her arms gently around her and laid her head against her chest. "You could have, 'Zula! I should've been with you. I should've been protecting you…" Another whimper broke from her throat. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. I gambled, and I lost. Besides, I went off by myself, it's not like you abandoned me." The former princess sighed a bit. "I don't think they're going to let us stay now, Ty Lee. And it's my fault."

Ty Lee's delicate fingers brushed Azula's face. "It's okay," the acrobat said softly, lifting her head to look at her. "There's other cities. If we can't stay here, we'll find someplace else. We've always managed things, 'Zula. We'll do it again." She bent down to place a soft kiss on the firebender's forehead. "Do you feel okay? Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No. I'm fine." Azula scrunched her eyes wearily. "I think maybe I'll just try to sleep again. I'm tired."

"Okay." Ty Lee smiled faintly. "I'll be here."

Azula closed her eyes. "I know," she murmured.


	23. Full Disclosure

There wasn't much sleep to be had. Azula was still in a fair bit of pain; she couldn't do much more than doze fitfully. Disturbing dreams haunted what little sleep she actually managed to get. She was angry, too – at Toph, yes, but mostly at herself. She was angry that she hadn't managed to fight back when the earthbender had attacked her. She was angry that she had exposed herself to Katara's ridicule. But mostly, she was furious with herself for blowing their chance to finally settle down for a while. How could she have miscalculated so badly? She'd turned over every stone, gone over every option she could think of. And to have it all blow up in her face like this was humiliating – infuriating – maddening! Azula screwed her eyes shut.

A light touch on her cheek woke her from a troubled doze. She opened her eyes to find Katara looking down at her. "Hey," the healer said quietly. "We've set up a cot for you beside Mai. We're going to move you down there, all right?"

Azula nodded. Then, as Katara moved back, the firebender spotted Toph approaching. The exile stiffened when the earthbender leaned over her, and hissed through her teeth as the movement sent shocks of pain up her leg. "Relax," Toph said coolly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Fiery Britches. Not this time, anyway. We're just moving you out of our bed like Sweetness said, all right?" The woman's strong arms slipped under Azula's back and knees, and she was lifted up. It hurt, but the firebender bit down on her tongue to keep from wincing. She would not give that mud-lover the satisfaction!

The second cot had been set up about two feet from Mai's. The former princess couldn't restrain a low groan when Toph put her down; the jostling made her discover several more injuries. Katara laid her hand on the earthbender's arm. "You've had a long day. You go ahead and go to bed," she said quietly. "I'll be up as soon as I'm finished here, okay?"

"Okay. Good night." Toph dropped a gentle kiss on the healer's lips before she made her way to the door.

Katara turned back to Azula's cot. The firebender watched her morosely. "It sounds like you're still in pain," she said quietly. "How about I try to make you more comfortable?" The exile jerked her head in a nod. The healer's gentle hands began to brush over Azula's broken leg. "Hold still," she murmured, as she drew water up and into the skin.

It felt _so good. _The exile closed her eyes and gave a huge sigh of relief as the throbbing stopped. She breathed deeply. "Ahh, yes…that's the spot."

The waterbender shot her a slight smile as she drew her hands away. "Do you still hurt anywhere else, Azula?" she asked.

"Yes. My arm, and my side."

The Water Tribe woman worked quietly for a minute or two. "There," she said at length. "I think that's all I can do for the moment." She spread a blanket over the firebender and nodded. "Do you need anything before I go?" Azula shook her head. "All right." Katara glanced at the corner where the chair was and smiled a bit. "It looks like Ty Lee's asleep now. But just get her to come for me if you or Mai need anything."

"Okay." Azula watched through half-closed eyes as the waterbender headed for bed, taking the lamp with her.

There was movement, and Mai's eyes glinted at her out of the darkness. "Hey," the assassin said, her voice quiet. There was a pause. The former princess didn't respond; she really didn't feel like talking to her at the moment. "So," Mai said calmly, after the short silence, "I heard you upset Toph a bit."

_She knows damn well what happened. _"Don't be coy," Azula said waspishly.

"All right." The assassin rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand. "Ty Lee told me you made Toph really angry, so she kicked your ass. Am I right so far?"

"Yes," the exile said shortly.

"So far, so good, then." Mai paused. "What did you do, exactly? Ty Lee wouldn't tell me anything, except that it had to do with Katara."

Azula sighed heavily. _I really want to sleep…but she's going to find out sooner or later, and it's better she hears it from me, I suppose. _"Okay, fine." She turned her face away. "I was trying to get leverage on Katara, so I…" _Oh, bloody hell. What is Mai going to say to this? _"Well, I…slept with her."

There was a heavy silence. "Well. Great." Mai's voice was very dry. "I'm probably never going to get _that_ image burned out of my retinas. – Enlighten me. What exactly was this supposed to accomplish?"

If Azula's arm hadn't been injured, she would have sent a jet of flame in Mai's direction, sick or not. She scowled. "I wanted to get them to let us stay here for a while," she growled. "And I already realize it wasn't my most shining moment of intellectual brilliance, so you can keep your comments to yourself."

"Shining brilliance? Gods, Azula, that wasn't even a spark of sense." Mai's scorn was withering. "I'd ask you if Toph scrambled your brains, but you did all that before your beatdown."

The former princess's eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Shut up!" she hissed, her fists clenching involuntarily. Agonizing pain shot up her injured arm, and she uttered a gasping moan, falling back on her pillow. Her eyes teared up as she gritted her teeth.

"All right." Mai spoke again after another short silence. "I'm done, Azula. I won't bother you about it anymore. But _please, _for the love of Agni, don't try any more brilliant plans for a while, all right? Next time you might get yourself killed. And I can't exactly protect you for a while."

Azula laughed bitterly. "Well, I'm out of commission for a few days, at least. You and Ty Lee can breathe easy." She turned her head to look at the assassin. Mai hadn't moved; there was just the hint of a smile playing about her lips. The former princess sighed. "Good night, Mai."

"Good night, Princess." There was some shuffling as the two settled down for the night. Then silence reigned, and sleep soothed all away.


	24. Open to Suggestion

The days were passing far too quickly. The worst of Azula's injuries had healed – enough to allow her to walk a bit, anyway, although firebending was still out of the question. She and Ty Lee spent most of their time with Mai. All three of them were very conscious that their time together was quickly running out. And, even though neither she nor Ty Lee had voiced it, there was the unspoken dread that they would never see Mai again once she had gone.

It had been nearly two weeks since Lord Lobsang and young Tom-Tom had arrived in Taonan. The assassin was feeling much better. She no longer needed to be drugged to help her sleep, and the agonizing muscle spasms had all but stopped. She was still weak, though. It would take some time for her to recover, but Katara said that she expected her to make a full recovery.

Azula lay quietly on her cot, watching while Lobsang bade his cousin goodnight. Tom-Tom bowed to Mai, his thin lips actually curving into a small smile. The princess noted this through half-closed eyes. The boy was very much like his older sister, but he seemed just a touch less reserved than she had been at that age. "Your healer says you'll be all right to travel in a couple of days," Lobsang said, smiling and squeezing Mai's hand. "Then we can go to Ba Sing Se and book our passage on a ship. I'm sure your rooms in the Fire Nation are just as you left them; I don't think anyone's really stayed in the old place since you went." The assassin smiled faintly. A few more pleasantries were exchanged, and Lobsang and Tom-Tom took their leave for the night. The three girls sat and talked for a while afterward; then Ty Lee stretched, with a tremendous yawn. "I'm beat," she said. "Taking care of you two is a full-time job! I'm going to sleep. G'night." She went off to the chair in the corner, and was soon snoring away.

As tired as she was, Azula didn't want to sleep just yet. She looked over at the assassin; she could only make out a shapeless heap of blankets in the darkness. "Mai, are you still awake?" she murmured. There was a grunt. Mai turned over to peer at her sleepily. "I want to talk to you."

"All right." The young woman yawned. "What is it?"

The former princess paused. She'd been thinking furiously for days, trying with increasing desperation to come up with some kind of feasible plan to avoid losing Mai completely. She was increasingly torn between trying to hold onto her and an honest desire to see the assassin happy. Azula bit her lips. "When you go back," she said slowly, "do you really think my brother might...well, that you...and him..." Her voice trailed off.

Mai sat up a little. There was silence for a moment. "You mean, would I be Zuko's consort, if he asked me to?" The former princess nodded, her jaw tightening. "Well, if he were to ask me, then yes, I would. But I don't know how likely that is to happen, Azula, whatever Lobsang says. Zuko doing my family a political favor by pardoning me doesn't exactly translate into his wanting to date me, you know. A lot's happened in the past few years."

Biting her lips, Azula looked down. "Okay." She paused, trying to piece together her thoughts. "If he were to take you back, we'd never see each other again." Mai was silent. "I don't want that to happen," Azula blurted in sudden anger, her fists clenching. "I don't!"

"Azula." Mai's voice was gentle. "You can't always control everything."

"I know that," the firebender snapped. Her jaw quivered a little. "Just promise me that I'll see you again after you leave, Mai. Promise me that."

There was another silence. "I'd like to," the assassin said quietly, "but I can't. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm not going to make you a promise I can't keep."

The former princess could feel her face burning. "So that's it, is it?. Even after all these years, and after all the times we've saved each others' lives, you'd pick Zuko over me again if he snapped his fingers for you. Wouldn't you?"

"No one 'snaps their fingers' for me," Mai said coldly. "Come on, Azula, be reasonable. Of course I don't want this to be the last time I see you. But I keep my promises, and I won't make you one that I might not be able to follow through with." She paused. "I will promise to come look for you if nothing happens with Zuko. Okay?" Azula scowled, and Mai sighed. "Besides," she said, her voice growing softer again, "you'll still have Ty Lee."

There had been something odd about the tone of those words. Azula looked at her sharply. She couldn't read Mai's expression in the darkness. "Yes," she said, her tone neutral. "I will."

"Azula," the young noblewoman said after a pause, "I have a bit of a personal question for you." The exile raised a brow. "I wouldn't say anything, except that I am leaving in a couple of days, and we might not get the chance to talk again." She raised herself up on her elbow. "You said that you slept with Katara. How was it?"

For a second or two, Azula was quite literally struck speechless. "Wh..._what?" _she finally managed, when her vocal chords had remembered how to move.

"How was it?" Mai repeated, her voice quite calm. "You know. Was it a horrible, dreadful experience, or did you enjoy it at all?"

"What in hell does that have to do with anything?" the former princess sputtered. She wasn't quite sure whether to be angry or start laughing, or both. "I didn't do that for the fun of it. I was doing it so we could have..."

"Yes, yes, I know," the young noblewoman said impatiently. "It had nothing to do with your personal feelings, it was just blackmail, et cetera. I have a reason for asking, though. Please, answer the question. Did you enjoy it at all?"

Azula was very glad it was dark. She could feel her face burning, and had no doubt that she was turning beet red. "I've had worse experiences," she said stiffly. "It was fine, I suppose. You had better have a point, Mai."

"Oh, I've got a point, all right." The exile could hear the smirk behind the words. "It's about Ty Lee." Azula frowned, caught off guard. "You know she's loved you since...spirits, since I don't know when. Since we were back at the Academy together, anyway. All these years she's followed you, even after what happened at the Boiling Rock. The question is, Azula – why won't you give her a chance?"

The former princess narrowed her eyes. _So that's where she's going with this. _"Not that it's any of your business," she said coldly, "but I'm simply not interested. I'm not that kind of a woman."

"Is that so?" Mai's voice was very bland. "So you enjoyed sleeping with Katara in a completely platonic way."

"No! It wasn't...but...that's different!" The exile was sputtering again.

"Was it, Azula? Are you so sure?" There was silence for a while. The former princess was reeling as the impact of Mai's words sank in. _She thinks I...well, she's right, though. It wasn't horrible. But I'm not...I can't...I mean, this is Ty Lee! And a Fire Nation princess doesn't..._ "I'm just saying," Mai went on, "that maybe you could give her a chance. After all, if you could do it once just to blackmail somebody, maybe you could do it again for Ty. You know she adores you. And who knows? You might even make each other happy."

Azula stared at her. "Since when do you care about this kind of thing?" she asked weakly.

There was a significant pause before the young noblewoman spoke again. "You and Ty Lee are the best friends I have," she said quietly. "I want to see you two happy. That's all, Azula."

The firebender felt her resistance crumbling. She lay back on her pillow. "Mai," she murmured, "I was going to ask you if you would put in a good word for me with my brother." There was a moment's heavy silence. "I'm not going to ask you that, though." She turned her head to look at the assassin. She could see Mai's eyes glinting at her. "I don't want you to mess anything up for yourself," she said. Her throat constricted, and she had to swallow hard. "If you have the chance to get what you've always wanted..."

"I appreciate that," the young noblewoman said. Her voice was low. "I really do, Azula."

Both girls lay quietly for some time. Azula gazed up at the ceiling. She felt odd – a strange mixture of sadness and resignation and something like tenderness. She inhaled deeply. "Mai?" The other girl grunted. "If...if I _had_ asked you to put in a good word with Zuko...would you have done it?"

There was a long pause. Finally, Mai sighed. "Yes," she said softly. "Yes, Azula, I would." And there was silence again.


	25. Sweet Sorrow

The firebender stood silently, watching while Lobsang's servants made the final adjustments to the harness of the mongoose-lizards. She was standing silently to the side, her arms folded stoically across her chest. A carriage, drawn by ostrich-horses, had been brought for Mai; it had been modified so that she could lie down in it. The young noblewoman had already been laid on the soft cushions inside. As Azula watched, Lord Lobsang turned from his inspection of the mounts. Her brows lowered a bit. "Is everything ready, Lord Lobsang?" she asked.

"Yes." He inclined his head coolly. There was still no love lost between them, although Azula had stopped trying to order him about, and he was at least being civil.

"I'll go get Ty Lee, then." Azula turned and went back into the house, leaving Toph and Katara to say their goodbyes.

The sickroom was still dark, the early morning light softening the hard shadows. The firebender could make out a huddled form in the chair in the corner. Soft sniffles came to her ears. With a deep sigh, Azula moved forward. "Ty Lee, it's time," she said quietly. "They're going. Come out with me and say goodbye to Mai, all right?" The acrobat wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. Without a word, she got up and headed for the door. Azula touched the girl's back briefly, comfortingly.

Mai sat up as they approached the carriage. Ty Lee abruptly broke into a run, flung her arms around the noblewoman, and burst into tears. Mai hugged her back, her expression unusually soft. She murmured something to the acrobat that Azula couldn't hear. Ty Lee sobbed even harder. "It won't be the same," she wept. "Oh, Mai, I miss you already!"

"You'll be all right," the assassin said softly. "You and Azula will take care of each other. And once I'm strong again, I'll try to come back and look for you. Okay?"

"You know where to look." The acrobat squeezed her one more time. "Goodbye, Mai. Please get better fast, and come back soon!" Mai smiled, just a little bit. Then, as Ty Lee released her, she turned toward Azula.

There was a pause. The firebender stood clenching and unclenching her fists for a minute or two, unsure of what to do. Finally she moved forward and slowly put her arms around Mai. She felt the young woman squeeze her back. "We'll miss you," she said, her voice oddly hoarse. She paused. "_I'll_ miss you," she amended.

"I know. I'll miss you guys, too." Mai pulled away, laying her hands on Azula's shoulders. "Don't forget what I said about Ty," she murmured.

"I won't. And don't you forget what I said, either." The firebender lowered her brows and thrust out her chin defiantly. "Don't you ruin anything for yourself. If you have the chance to get what you've always wanted, Mai, you take it. Understand?"

Bowing her head, Mai touched her palms together. "Yes, Princess," She raised her narrow eyes to look at them one more time. "Goodbye," she said softly.

"Goodbye, Mai." That was Ty Lee, her voice still quivering. Azula stepped back to allow Tom-Tom to climb into the carriage beside his sister. His eyes rested thoughtfully on Azula for a moment before he raised a hand in farewell and closed the carriage door. The firebender stepped back, watching as Lord Lobsang waved, and then spurred his mount forward. The procession started out. Azula felt Ty Lee's arm slip around her, and was aware of the girl's sobs, but couldn't seem to react. She could only stare after the disappearing carriage. She had the sickening feeling that she would never lay eyes on the quiet young noblewoman again.

When at last they were lost to her view, Azula closed her eyes and breathed deeply, slowly raising her arms to comfort the weeping Ty Lee. "It's okay, Ty. We'll be all right." She wondered if she even believed those words herself; a hard lump was rising in her own throat. Nevertheless, she had to hold it together. "It'll be okay."

"'Zula." The acrobat buried her face in the firebender's shoulder, shivering. "I wish we could go with her." Then, feeling Azula flinch, Ty Lee quickly looked up. "No. Wait, I didn't mean that..."

"Never mind. It doesn't matter." Azula let her go and turned away. There was an awkward pause. "I'm going to go talk to Katara," the exile said finally, her voice quiet. "I'll find out how long we have until we have to leave, all right?" Ty Lee nodded miserably, her gray eyes still looking in the direction that Mai had gone.

When Azula went into the kitchen, Toph was sitting at the table, while Katara was spreading out bundles of herbs on the counter to dry. There was palpable tension in the air. The firebender glanced quickly from one face to the other. The earthbender was scowling, while Katara's eyes seemed moist. _They've been arguing, _Azula thought. _It was probably about me. _She took a deep breath as Toph's blind glare turned in her direction. "Katara, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

The waterbender looked at her, then glanced at Toph. "All right," she said quietly. Together they slipped into the empty sickroom. Azula tried not to look at the vacant bed under the window. "What can I do for you, Azula?" Katara asked.

_Might as well get straight to the point. _The firebender looked at her. "Now that Mai's gone," she said, "when do you want us to leave?"

Katara nodded slowly. She didn't seem surprised. "It probably wouldn't be good to send you off right away," she said. "After all, you can't firebend yet, can you?"

"A little bit. But no, not really. Not enough to defend myself." Azula's lips pursed with annoyance. Her wrist still refused to perform properly, and the leg that had been broken still ached whenever she tried to go through her bending katas. _I'm a sitting turtle-duck, damn it all! _"I can throw a fireball or two, but I think a ten-year-old with a kitchen knife could take me right now."

"Well, I won't throw you to the moose-lions." The waterbender's lips twitched into a faint smile. "I can probably give you a few more days. But then you'll have to go; Toph's getting antsy." Azula nodded in silence. Katara looked at her keenly. "Given up on the idea of staying in Taonan?"

"I think I've worn out my welcome." Azula favored her with a thin smile. "Unless you know something that I don't, of course."

"No." Katara rubbed the side of her neck. "But listen...if you and Ty Lee are really hard up this winter, you can come by. We'll give you what we can spare."

_Winter. _Azula shuddered at the thought, lowering her head. The cold months lay ahead – weeks of shivering in caves, scraping and pinching for food, and slogging for hours through knee-deep snow to escape her hunters. Even for a firebender, it was hard. Her golden eyes flicked up to Katara's face for a moment. This might be charity, but it was much-needed charity. She swallowed her pride. "Thank you," she said quietly. "We probably will."

The waterbender hesitated. "And maybe," she said slowly, "_maybe _things will have cooled off enough then to think about letting you stay in this village." She glanced back toward the kitchen.

"Toph's still angry, huh." Azula raised her brows.

"Angry. And hurt. And a few other things." The dark-skinned woman nodded and sighed. "Listen, I have to go talk to her, Azula. - Unless you need something else?"

"No. I'm done." The exile watched her leave. Then, quietly, she went to look for Ty Lee. They had things to discuss, too.

The acrobat wasn't where she had been standing before, nor was she in the courtyard. Azula stood considering for a moment, then headed down the path that led to the beach. The place was deserted, but she found a set of footprints leading along the shoreline. _She's going to that cave, _Azula thought, pausing. Her leg was aching a bit; she suspected that such a long walk would result in a fair bit of pain. With a shrug, she started following the tracks. _If it hurts, it hurts. I have to find her. _She walked for what felt like a long time. A couple of times, the throbbing in her shin grew nearly unbearable, and she had to stop to dip the aching limb into the ocean. Finally, as she was just beginning to think about stopping a third time, the small cave came into view. Rest was forgotten; Azula made for the cavern purposefully.

As she had suspected, Ty Lee was sitting in the back of the little cove, with her knees drawn up to her chest. The acrobat looked up; her gray eyes widened in alarm. "Azula! You didn't walk all this way, did you?" she asked "Your leg..."

"It's fine. I've felt worse." Azula grinned a little as she limped over and sat down beside the gymnast. She couldn't restrain a sigh of relief as she took her weight off the injured limb. "I have to talk to you, Ty Lee."

"Okay." The girl bit her lips. "What did Katara say?"

"She said they'll wait to kick us out until I can firebend again. Three or four days, probably." The exile looked down at her wrist and grimaced. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Ty Lee waited, watching her inquisitively. The former princess hesitated. "Mai...said some things to me a couple of days ago. She thought...well, she wondered..." _Damn it._

Ty Lee's brow wrinkled. "She wondered what?" she asked innocently. "Does she need us to do her a favor or something?"

"No." Azula could feel her cheeks reddening. "It's not about her." The acrobat frowned a bit, but said nothing. "We were...talking...about Katara. And she asked me why I did what I did, and I told her. And then she wondered why...well, why I could do _that, _but not..." _Blast it all, why is this so hard to say? Just say it, Azula. Just bloody blurt it out! _"She asked why I couldn't give you a chance."

The acrobat's eyes widened, and she became very still. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft. "What do you mean, Azula?"

"You know what I mean." The firebender was very uncomfortable, and it made her scowl. _I am absolutely not going to say this in cold blood, Ty Lee. Put it together. _"You asked me yourself why I'd...consider her and not you."

"Okay." The gymnast looked bewildered. "I-I did ask you that. You said it was just to blackmail her with, right?"

"Yes, that is what I said," Azula said impatiently. _She's so going to make me come out and say it, isn't she. _"But maybe I...was wrong."

"Wrong?" Ty Lee's lip quivered.

"Wrong to not give you a chance." The firebender looked away and gritted her teeth, bracing herself. "So, if...if you want to, Ty, we can...give it a try."

There was a long silence. Then the acrobat got up, slipping over to kneel gracefully in front of Azula. Her hand rested on the firebender's knee. "'Zula," the girl whispered, and the exile could see hope struggling in her eyes. "Are you asking me out?"

_Praise Agni, she's finally got it. _"Yes," Azula said shortly. "If you want to. I mean, you don't have to, of course. It's just that Mai thought -" Ty Lee's hands slipped up to the sides of her face, and her thumbs pressed against Azula's mouth, stopping the flow of words. The firebender gaped at her for a moment. The acrobat was smiling gently. Without a word, she leaned forward and kissed her.

Azula hadn't known quite what to expect. She'd only ever been kissed twice – once by that boy on Ember Island, and once by Katara. Ty Lee's touch was gentle, her lips soft against hers. The firebender felt her breathing hitch. Her eyes closed. It felt good. It felt – _good. _She lifted her hands to lay them against Ty Lee's, and heard the acrobat murmur. The kiss broke a moment or two later. Azula opened her eyes, dazed, and found Ty Lee still smiling at her. "I love you, 'Zula," she said softly. A moment later, the girl was in her arms, her head resting on her shoulder.

The exile was more than a little stunned. She clung to Ty Lee in silence, wondering how all this could have happened. She still felt Mai's absence – it still stung – but it felt distant now. The girl in her arms was too solidly real for that. She felt warm. She felt...safe. Azula closed her eyes, nestling her cheek against the acrobat's brown hair. "Thank you, Ty," she whispered.


	26. Epilogue

Azula glanced nervously up at the sun. She and Ty Lee had left Taonan the night before, under cover of darkness, and had headed straight toward Ba Sing Se, keeping to the woods and fields. It was morning now – approaching noon, actually. They would soon need to stop and rest. Her leg was beginning to ache. She glanced at the acrobat. "Getting tired yet, Ty?"

"Yeah." She looked up at the sky. "Guess we should get some sleep, huh?"

"Let's find some cover first. We stayed in Taonan a long time; there's sure to be someone on our trail by now." They went on for about another half-hour before they finally found an area that was shielded on all sides by thick foliage. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. Ty Lee unrolled the sleeping mats while Azula got out their rations. Then they sat down together and ate.

Azula watched the acrobat out of the corner of her eye. It was strange. She'd known Ty Lee almost all her life, and had always been at ease around her – now, though, she felt almost shy. She watched as the acrobat finished her ration and licked her fingers. Then the girl's enormous gray eyes flicked over to hers. Suddenly aware that she had been staring, Azula quickly looked away, feeling a dark flush rising in her cheeks. Ty Lee smiled slowly and scooted over to where the firebender sat. Azula felt the girl's arms slip around her waist; her face burned even hotter as she felt a soft kiss press underneath her ear. "Like what you see?" Ty Lee murmured, with a chuckle.

"Maybe." The firebender awkwardly put her arm around the acrobat's shoulders. She knew that this was expected – they _were_ in a "relationship" now – but she really had no idea how to act. Azula cast another sidelong glance at Ty Lee's smiling face. "Yes," she admitted.

The acrobat giggled and kissed her again. Her lips moved to hover by Azula's ear. "So do I," she whispered. The firebender's mouth fell open as she felt her earlobe being lightly nipped. She was sure that her face was now a furious shade of scarlet. With another light laugh, Ty Lee pulled away, and made a great show of laying their packs at the head of their sleeping mats, allowing Azula some time to recover. She turned back after a minute, smiling innocently. "You're tired, 'Zula," she said. "Why don't I take first watch?"

"O-okay." Azula moved to her bedroll and lay down with as much dignity as she could manage. Ty Lee giggled again. The firebender tried to scowl, knowing the girl was laughing at her, but somehow couldn't manage more than a light frown. "Make sure you wake me if you get too sleepy."

"I will." The acrobat settled herself down, sitting cross-legged. She cast Azula a playful look. "Need a goodnight kiss?" Her laughter bubbled up again as the firebender blushed furiously. Azula growled at her and shut her eyes.

After a moment or two, Azula slowly opened her eyes again. The acrobat was still sitting there, her gray eyes alert and moving over the foliage that surrounded them. Lazily, the firebender let her gaze linger. She'd lost a lot of things in her life – her mother, her father, her status, her home. But maybe, just maybe, she'd gained something, too. A faint smile twitched her lips at the thought. She closed her eyes. _If we can just make it a few months into the winter, we can go back and maybe stay in Taonan after that. And Mai should be strong enough to come find us by this spring...maybe everything will be all right. _She remembered the gentle pressure of Ty Lee's arms around her, and sighed contentedly as she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
